A German man has been kidnapped while his female partner was shot dead by unidentified gunmen who stormed their yacht off Malaysian waters in Sabah yesterday.

According to an Associated Press report, the Philippines military is currently verifying the kidnapping claims made by Abu Sayyaf militants.

The report quoted regional military spokesperson Major Filemon Tan who said Abu Sayyaf spokesperson Muamar Askali had claimed responsibility for kidnapping Juegen Kantner and killing his female partner.

Tan said the woman might have put up a struggle or tried to escape, which led to her getting killed.

Her body was reportedly found in the yacht earlier today.

Separately, The Star reported that Kantner’s yacht had last sailed through the Sulu waters in Tawi Tawi, when they encountered the Abu Sayyaf gunmen.

The report also revealed that Kantner, 70, had in 2008 been held captive by Somali armed pirates who raided his yacht, at the time sailing through the Gulf of Aden, located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen and Somalia.

Together with his wife Sabine Merz, Kantner survived 52 days being held captive in the pirates’ mountain hideout.

They were reportedly freed after a US$600,000 ransom was paid to the Somalis.