2000 Sipadan kidnappings
| 2000 Sipadan kidnappings | |
|---|---|
| Part of Islamic insurgency in the Philippines and Cross border attacks in Sabah | |
Location of Sipadan Island in Malaysia | |
| Location | Sipadan, Malaysia and Jolo, Philippines |
| Coordinates | 4°06′53″N 118°37′44″E / 4.114683°N 118.628756°E |
| Date | 23 April 2000 – 19 September 2000 (UTC+8) |
| Target | Local and foreign tourists |
Attack type | Hostage situation |
| Weapons | Automatic weapons, grenades and rocket-propelled grenades |
| Deaths | None |
| Injured | Several |
| Perpetrators | Abu Sayyaf |
The 2000 Sipadan kidnappings was a hostage crisis in Sabah, Malaysia, and the southern Philippines that began with the seizing of twenty-one hostages from the dive resort island of Sipadan at approximately 6:15 p.m. (UTC +8) on 23 April 2000, by up to six Abu Sayyaf (ASG) bandits. Taken hostage were 10 tourists from Europe and the Middle East and 11 Malaysian resort workers, 19 non-Filipino nationals in total. The hostages were taken to an Abu Sayyaf base in Jolo, Sulu.
During the hostage taking, Abu Sayyaf issued various demands for the release of several prisoners, including 1993 World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef, $2.4 million and a complete withdrawal of government troops from the area around Jolo where the hostages were being held.
The Philippine Army launched a major offensive on 16 September 2000, rescuing all remaining hostages, except Filipino dive instructor Roland Ullah. Ullah was eventually freed in 2003.