The police today said they want to question alleged Philippine terrorist leader Galib Andang about the kidnap of international tourists from a local resort in April 2000.

The police commissioner for Sabah, Pahlawan Ramli Yusuff, said police were making arrangements for the questioning with their Philippine counterparts.

Andang, the leader of the kidnapping gang Abu Sayyaf and popularly known as Commander Robot, is in hospital after being shot during his arrest Sunday by security forces in his Jolo island stronghold in the southern Philippines.

His gang of self-proclaimed Islamic separatists raided the Sipadan resort in Malaysia more than three years ago and seized 21 tourists and resort staff. The captives were later released, reportedly in return for millions of dollars in ransom.

Sipadan incident

Ramli said that police wanted information from Andang on both the Sipadan incident and a similar kidnapping involving three Malaysians on Pandanan Island in September 2000.

"He was definitely involved in both the Sipadan and Pandanan incidents, so we want to find out how he carried them out," he told the Bernama news agency.

Ramli said Andang might also have information about the kidnapping of four Indonesians and two Filipinos working at the Borneo Paradise Resort in Kunak on October 5. One man escaped but the other five are still being held by their captors, who have reportedly demanded ransom.