Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are now in Zamboanga del Norte gathering additional information on the abduction of American content creator Elliot Onil Eastman and to “assist” local law enforcers in trying get him back safely.
On Saturday, several FBI agents paid a courtesy visit on Sibuco Mayor Joel Ventura to get updates on the ground before proceeding to the residence of the victim’s wife at Sitio Tungawan in Barangay Poblacion to meet his wife and her family.
The FBI has legal attachés and agents across the world, including in the Philippines, who serve as “a bridge to our overseas partners and a conduit for strengthening the global rule of law,” according to the bureau’s website.
In a statement, the US Embassy in Manila said the US government is working closely with Philippine authorities in searching for Eastman.
“When a U.S. citizen is missing, we work closely with local authorities as they carry out their search efforts, and we make every effort to keep lines of communication open with families,” the US Embassy said in a statement.
“The Department of State has no higher priority than the welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad,” the statement further read.
Eastman, a native of Vermont, was snatched by four gunmen posing as policemen, and reportedly shot in the leg when he tried to resist.
Wounded, the 26-year-old YouTube content creator was carried to a waiting motorboat and spirited away to a yet unknown location.
Meanwhile, local authorities said they are keeping a close watch on certain persons of interest believed to be behind Eastman’s abduction.
“We are validating leads to ensure we are tracking the right group to build an airtight case against them,” Brig. Gen. Bowenn Joey Masauding, Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula (PRO-9) director, said in a statement on Sunday.
It was stated that the PRO-9 activated a Critical Incident Management Task Group (CIMTG) to focus on the investigation and swift resolution of the kidnapping that took place around 11 p.m. on Oct. 17.
They have also tapped the intelligence arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in identifying the abductors and locating the victim’s whereabouts, the police official added.
The kidnappers have yet to make ransom demands or even contact Eastman’s wife or relatives, he disclosed.
“The safety of the victim remains the top priority and all available resources are being mobilized to resolve the situation swiftly and effectively,” Masauding wrote.
Eastman has only been living in Barangay Poblacion for the last five months after marrying a local resident.
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