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American Morning

Muslim Separatists Claim American Hostage Was Beheaded

Aired June 12, 2001 - 11:46   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's check in again on our lead story, the American hostage situation in the Philippines. A senior State Department official telling CNN that Philippine authorities have found a human torso in the same area where a rebel group claims to have the head of a decapitated American where they say that head can be found.

Muslim separatists say they have beheaded California tourist Guillermo Sobero. He is one of three Americans and several Filipinos kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf. Those are rebels and the kidnapping took place on May 27th. There is no confirmation that the torso found belongs to Sobero. The Philippine army is intensifying its search now for the missing head.

A gruesome story, and nowhere is it getting more attention than in Southern California, where Mr. Sobero lives with his family. Joining us with more is Rick Lozano. He is with our affiliate in Los Angeles KTTV.

Rick, good morning.

RICK LOZANO, KTTV REPORTER: Well, good morning, and indeed a gruesome story it is if indeed these details, this new information turns out to be true. We are out in front of Guillermo Sobero's home in Corona. Already this morning, we have seen several family members coming and going from the home. However, none has been willing to give us any on camera interview with regard to the goings-on in the Philippines.

As you can well imagine, these have been very trying times for the Sobero family, after he disappeared some two weeks ago. In the Philippines on vacation, he was snatched from one of the resort islands there by the Islamic group that has taken him and 27 other people hostage.

Now here, in the Sobero neighborhood, you can see yellow ribbons dot the neighborhood here, hopeful signs that perhaps Mr. Sobero would someday return safely to his family. However, reports this morning from the Philippine military, which suggests that intelligence reports somehow were able to determine that Mr. Sobero had in fact been executed by the Islamic rebel group.

Again, family members have been seen coming and going from the Sobero home this morning. In fact, his wife, we know, has already been speaking to the State Department and also to the U.S. Embassy in Manila. She has not been given any confirmation whatsoever that Mr. Sobero has been executed. They continue to hold out hope that these reports are not true and that he is still alive.

That's the story for now. We're live in Corona, California. Now back to you in Atlanta.

KAGAN: Rick, before we let you go, can you tell us a little bit more about Mr. Sobero. I know he recently became a U.S. citizen. I think that he's originally from Lima, Peru. What was he doing, do we know, going on vacation in the Philippines?

LOZANO: Well, it's kind of an odd story. First of all, he and his wife are separated. They are in stages of a -- first stages of a divorce. He has first told her that he was going to Lake Havasu on vacation. Then it turned out that he had gone to the Philippines to celebrate his 40th birthday. He is 40 years old, as you mentioned, just became an American citizen and really, that is all that is known about his man.

KAGAN: Very good. Very different, indeed. Lake Havasu, for our viewers who are not familiar, there on the California-Arizona border, a completely different direction than the Philippines. Rick Lozano from our affiliate KTTV. Thank you so much for that report.

LOZANO: Thank you.

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