American 'kidnap' victim Jeffrey Schilling will face criminal charges in his home country. According to U.S. federal agents, his abduction by the separatist Abu Sayyaf group was a sham.

A report by the Philippine Star yesterday quoted Chief Supt. Romulo Sales, head of police intelligence, as saying that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents had arrived in Manila to carry out the interrogation of a recently captured Abu Sayyaf leader. They expect to gather evidence to charge the 24-year-old Muslim convert from Oakland, California.

"They are coordinating with us for the filing of criminal charges against Mr. Schilling for the embarrassment that he caused to the U.S. government," he said. Sales said FBI agents apparently showed great disappointment upon learning about Schilling's sham abduction.

The American was reportedly involved in a string of offences in the U.S. before he came to the country. Gen. Generoso Senga, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman, confirmed yesterday that Schilling was indeed a "walk-in hostage". Senga accused Schilling of conniving with the Abu Sayyaf to fake his abduction.

He said Schilling voluntarily walked into the Abu Sayyaf camp in southern Sulu island with his Filipina wife when he was seized in August. The U.S. and Philippine governments refused to negotiate for his release following reports that he visited the camp to arrange an arms deal with the rebels.

Police later found out that his wife was a cousin of Abu Sabayya, an Abu Sayyaf leader. Reports from the police and military in Sulu also quoted residents as seeing Schilling roaming the mountains of the island armed, apparently having joined his captors who are fleeing a military offensive.

Suspicions that Schilling faked his abduction were boosted by statements by captured Abu Sayyaf leader, Hector Janjalani, and his aide, Alsheed Al Bani. The duo, who were captured in Manila last week, told investigators that Schilling had arranged with them his make-believe abduction.

Janjalani and Albani were arrested by police intelligence agents on December 22 while negotiating with an unidentified person for the sale of a video tape of Schilling taken inside the bandits' hideout in the jungles of Sulu.

The video tape reportedly shows a slimmer but healthy Schilling strapped to a tree, with his hands and feet tied with a rope, and being guarded by heavily armed men. The Abu Sayyaf, with the lack of interest of the Philippine and U.S. government to pay ransom for Schilling's release have reportedly wanted to sell the American's video footage to the Cable News Network (CNN) Asian office in Singapore for $1 million, but CNN was willing to pay only $300.

Schilling, along with Filipino Roland Ullah, are the only remaining hostages held by the Abu Sayyaf. The Abu Sayyaf early this year snatched several foreign hostages in two cross-border raids into Malaysian resorts.The captives were released, reportedly after their governments paid ransom.