July 28, 2000, Philippine Daily Inquirer, German reporter freed by Abu Sayyaf, by Alexander Young and Noralyn Mustafa,

July 28, 2000, Philippine Daily Inquirer, German reporter freed by Abu Sayyaf, by Alexander Young and Noralyn Mustafa,

German reporter freed by Abu Sayyaf Codes: N7 Author: Alexander Young and Noralyn Mustafa Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer Interactive Date Published: 07/28/00 Starting Page: internet edition

JOLO, Sulu--Abu Sayyaf bandits yesterday released a reporter for the German Der Spiegel magazine, who was held alone in the jungle for 25 days after he was abducted while covering the Jolo hostage crisis. Amid government denials, sources said P40 million was paid for the release of Andreas Lorenz who was among six journalists kidnapped while they were reporting on 21 mostly foreign hostages abducted in April by Abu Sayyaf bandits from a Malaysian diving resort.

"It's the worst ordeal in my life. I will never come back to Jolo," the 48-year- old Lorenz said after he was fetched by Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan's emissaries at around 3 p.m. in Barangay Danag, Patikul. Lorenz embraced Ulaf Ihlao, a Der Spiegel editor who flew Thursday to Jolo to receive him from the kidnappers reportedly led by a certain Muin Sajiron, a nephew of Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sajiron.

Lorenz, who appeared thinner and tired, was then taken by a chartered King Air B200 Beechcraft to the Edwin Andrews Air Base in nearby Zamboanga City, where he was reunited with his ecstatic wife, Jutta. "It's wonderful," she said. "I'm very grateful."

Lorenz was presented to the media by chief government negotiator Roberto Aventajado at around 5:45 p.m. in Zamboanga City. "I'm happy to be out . . . I'm fine, they (abductors) treated me well," Lorenz told reporters. "I want to say I'm very thankful for all who helped to get me out."

"I want to go home . . . I miss my family," said Lorenz who was seized on July 2 by about 20 armed men. They agreed to guide him to an Abu Sayyaf hideout where he hoped to interview three Germans held by the bandits. Instead of taking him to the hideout, however, the men forced him at gunpoint into the hinterlands of Patikul.

Lorenz said he was held alone by an Abu Sayyaf faction that felt it was not receiving a fair share of the ransom paid for other hostages. "What do I tell you--don't do it again,'' Aventajado told Lorenz as both men laughed. Aventajado attributed the release of Lorenz to the efforts of Governor Tan and an emissary codenamed "Dragon."

For his part, Tan insisted no ransom was paid for the release of Lorenz. In Berlin, Der Spiegel chief editor Stefan Aust said the next edition of the weekly magazine, which goes on sale Monday, would carry a detailed account by Lorenz of his captivity.

It was the second time that Lorenz had been held by the bandits. He was also in a group of 10 European journalists who were held captive on June 2 when they visited an Abu Sayyaf hideout to interview the foreign hostages. The group was released the same day after paying $25,000 in ransom. The Abu Sayyaf have previously freed six Malaysians and one German from the original group of 21 hostages seized April 23 from Malaysia's Sipadan Island.

About $190 million was paid for those releases despite the government's official no-ransom policy, according to military sources. Abu Sayyaf bandits also seized three French TV journalists who visited their camp on July 9. Two journalists of the ABS-CBN television network were abducted Monday by another group of armed men after they interviewed the leader of an Abu Sayyaf faction. The two Filipino journalists, Val Cuenca and Maan Macapagal, are expected to be released soon.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose collection of several hundred heavily armed rebels divided into several bands, each with different commanders. The group has been accused of banditry, kidnappings and numerous attacks on Christians.

The bandits are also holding 13 Filipino Christian evangelists who visited their hideout early this month to pray for the Sipadan hostages. Seven Europeans, two South Africans, three Malaysians and two Filipinos are still in captivity from the original Sipadan group. With reports from Julie Alipala-Inot, PDI Mindanao Bureau; and Inquirer wires