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Jürgen Gustav Kantner (died 27 February 2017) was a German sailor who was beheaded by
Abu Sayyaf Abu Sayyaf (; ar, جماعة أبو سياف; ', ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It is based ...
in the
Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...
. On November 5, 2016, Jürgen and his wife Sabine Merz were attacked while sailing off the coast of the Philippines and Malaysia. During the incident Merz was shot and killed by the gunmen. Kantner was taken as a hostage into the jungles of southern
Sulu province Sulu (), officially the Province of Sulu ( Tausūg: ''Wilāya sin Lupa' Sūg''; tl, Lalawigan ng Sulu), is a province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago and part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Its cap ...
, where Abu Sayyaf is based. On or before 27 February 2017, Kantner was beheaded after a ransom of 30 million pesos ($600,000) was not met. Previously, in 2008, he and his wife were also taken from their yacht, Rockall, and held captive in
Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
by Al-Shabaab for 52 days before their captors freed them in return for a large ransom. After being returned to Germany, Kantner criticized his rescue, as he believed paying ransoms increased the risk to other sailors of being captured. He then started planning to recapture his boat back from the Somali pirates who had captured him. He returned by land and air to Somalia, and stole his boat back from the same beach where he was taken to as a captive. Kantner and Merz continued to live aboard Rockall and sail for the rest of their lives.


External links


Portion of Kantner's story being told by a fellow sailor


References

2017 deaths Male murder victims Kidnapped (novel) German sailors People executed by decapitation Filmed executions {{Germany-sport-bio-stub