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Philippines detains Islamist militant blamed for kidnaps

Philippine security forces said Tuesday they had detained a suspected Islamist militant accused of taking part in kidnappings in the country's troubled south. Abu Isaac, an alleged member of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, was arrested by military intelligence agents and local police in the southern port of Zamboanga on Monday, said Army Lieutenant-Colonel Randolph Cabangbang. The suspect was picked up near the public market and is to stand trial for two kidnappings on nearby Basilan island in 2000 and 2001, Cabangbang, the regional military spokesman, told reporters without giving details. The Abu Sayyaf, allegedly set up with funds provided by an Arab charity run by a brother-in-law of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, has been blamed for many of the worst bombing and kidnapping attacks in the Philippines. strs/cgm/bsk