The Philippine government has brushed aside a US government request for the extradition of one of six people arrested on suspicion of being Abu Sayyaf members.

Alhamzer Manatad Limbong, also known as Kosovo Atimosa or Hasan, will have to face trial in a Philippine court for his alleged participation in the kidnapping of three American nationals at Dos Palmas Hotel in Palawan, southwestern Philippines in 2001, said Ricardo Diaz, head of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) International Police (Interpol).

The request of the US government will be attended to later, after the case filed by the Philippine government against Limbong is resolved, Diaz said, adding, "The local charges will take precedence over those filed by the US."

Limbong, the alleged leader of the Abu Sayyaf terror cell in Manila, is facing charges for kidnapping for ransom, murder and illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

Recently, in a letter sent to the Philippine justice department, US legal attaché Jeffrey Cole requested for the extradition proceedings on Limbong, saying the US government had filed charges against Limbong at the US court for the District of Columbia, for hostage-taking and murder.

In the US court, Limbong is facing charges in a court in the US for the kidnapping of two American missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham, and Guillermo Sobero, an American citizen of Peruvian descent. He is also accused of the beheading of Sobero on June 12, 2001, and for the subsequent killing of Martin Burnham in the botched military rescue operation in Zamboanga del Norte in the south on June 7, 2002.

The US government filed the same charges against Khadafi Janjalani, the Abu Sayyaf chieftain and several others who were identified as Isnilon Totoni Hapilon, Aldam Itlao, Jainal Antel Sali Jr., Hamsiraji Marusi Sali, Wahar Opao, Bakkal Totoni Hapilon and Abdul Azzam Ngaya.

Burnham's wife, who survived the rescue operation in June 2002, will return to the Philippines in June this year to testify against four of the six suspected Abu Sayyaf members, state prosecutor Nestor Lazaro said.

"At the moment, we are taking the testimony of Filipino witnesses who were taken as hostages and who could identify the arrested Abu Sayyaf members,"said Lazaro. One of them, Angie Montealegre was seen on TV having slapped one of the arrested Abu Sayyaf members, whose name was Abdusaid Sanjeng Lim.

The four other arrested Abu Sayyaf members were identified as Redendo Cain Dellosa, also known as Hasil and Abu Ilonggo; Radzman Sangkulo Jut, alias Radz; Hanifa Walter Villanueva, alias Abdulwalid; Marvin Rueca, alias Jameel.

Director Robert Delfin, chief of Philippine National Police (PNP) intelligence said that authorities found from Limbong's wallet a list of 36 places for bombing in Metro Manila.

By Barbara Mae Dacanay, Ronnel Pelovello and Raffy Jimenez

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