A group of at least 14 armed gunmen abducted two American citizens and one Filipino from a resort on the southern Philippines island of Sacol early Tuesday morning.
Authorities say 43-year-old Virginia resident Gerfa Yeatts Lunsmann and her son Kevin, 16, were visiting the resort with Lunsmann's Filipino nephew, 19-year-old Romnick Jakaria, when the gunmen forced them onto boats and took them to Basilan Island. The motive for the abduction remains until. Authorities have launched search and rescue efforts.
Basilan Island is a stronghold for militants of the Islamic group Abu Sayyaf. Abu Sayyaf has links to al Qaeda, according to the U.S. State Department. The group has not claimed responsibility for the kidnappings.
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