Isnilon Totoni Hapilon
Encyclopedia
Isnilon Totoni Hapilon is a leader of the Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

 terrorist
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

 organization called the Abu Sayyaf Group
Abu Sayyaf
Abu Sayyaf also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya is one of several military Islamist separatist groups based in and around the southern Philippines, in Bangsamoro where for almost 30 years various Muslim groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the country...

. He is thought to have recently suffered a stroke, which has limited his activity with the group.

Hapilon is also known as The Deputy, and by aliases including Abu Musab, Sol, Abu Tuan, Esnilon, and Salahuddin. He is a citizen of the Philippines, a thin man at 5'6" and only 120 pounds. He speaks Tausug
Tausug language
Tausūg is a language spoken in the province of Sulu in the Philippines, in Malaysia, and in Indonesia by the Tausūg people....

, Tagalog
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...

 and Yakan
Yakan
The Yakan people are among the major indigenous tribes in Mindanao. Having a significant number of followers of Islam, it is considered as one of the 13 Moro groups in the Philippines. There are also a good number of Christians in this tribe as a result of the conversion of the line of Datu Kalun -...

, as well as English. His whereabouts are unknown; he may travel to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...

 and Malaysia.

In 2002 Hapilon and four other ASG members -- Khadaffy Janjalani
Khadaffy Janjalani
Khadaffy Abubakar Janjalani was the nominal leader of the Filipino militant group Abu Sayyaf and the leader of one of its factions.Janjalani was also known as Daf or Pek...

, Hamsiraji Marusi Sali
Hamsiraji Marusi Sali
Hamsiraji Marusi Sali was a kidnapper and murderer in the Abu Sayyaf Group. He was wanted in the Philippines for at least twenty kidnappings, and wanted in the United States for three kidnappings and two murders....

, Aldam Tilao, and Jainal Antel Sali, Jr.
Jainal Antel Sali, Jr.
Jainal Antel Sali, Jr. was the leader of Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist terrorist organization affiliated with Al Qaeda....

 -- were indicted in Guam and in the United States for their role in the 2000 Dos Palmas kidnappings of 17 Filipinos and three Americans, and the eventual beheading of one of the Americans, Guillermo Sobero. Hapilon is the only one of the five indicted who is still alive. On February 24, 2006, Hapilon, along with Janjalani and Jainal Sali, Jr. was added to the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists
FBI Most Wanted Terrorists
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted Terrorists is a list of fugitives who have been indicted by sitting Federal grand juries in the United States district courts, for alleged crimes of terrorism. The initial list was formed in late 2001 in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks...

 list. The Rewards For Justice Program
Rewards For Justice Program
The Rewards for Justice Program is the counterterrorism rewards program of the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service . The Secretary of State is currently offering rewards for information that prevents or favorably resolves acts of international terrorism against U.S. persons or...

 of the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...

 is offering up to US$5 million (approx. 230,000,000 Philippine peso
Philippine peso
The peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...

s as of August 2010) for information on Hapilon's location.

In the late 1980s Hapilon graduated from the University of the Philippines
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...

 School of Engineering.

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