Dos Palmas kidnappings
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The Dos Palmas kidnappings was a hostage crisis which initially took place on Dos Palmas, an upscale island resort at Palawan organized by Abu Sayyaf guerrilla leader Abu Sabaya. Twenty hostages were initially captured without incident among them were three Americans, Guillermo Sobero and missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham. The hostages were transported to Basilan where eventually one of the three American hostages was beheaded as an "independence-day gift" to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, another was killed in a botched rescue attempt while the lone woman among the three was rescued. The search for the hostages eventually lead to a six month deployment of 1,000 American troops which provided training and high-tech support to the less equipped and experienced Filipino troops.
Fourteen Abu Sayyaf bandits were sentenced to life on December 6, 2007 as result of the attacks; four were acquitted.[1]
