Suspected brains behind Eastman abduction arrested; 3 others killed

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines – The principal suspect in the October 17, 2024 abduction of American content creator Elliot Eastman was arrested, while three others were killed in separate operations in the Zamboanga Peninsula Region, police confirmed Thursday, January 9.

The arrested suspect was identified as 35-year-old Jackaria Siddik Jamani of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte. He was caught Tuesday, January 7, at the boundary of Zamboanga City and the Basilan Strait.

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Police said a complaint for kidnapping and serious illegal detention was filed against Jamani.

Authorities also confirmed that three other suspects in Eastman’s abduction – Abdul Sahibad, Mursid Ahod and Fahad Sahibad – were killed in an encounter with the police and military during pursuit operations from the villages of Naga to Canacan in Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay on November 12, 2024.

Police said all indications point to Jamani as the brains behind the American’s abduction in Tungawan, Barangay Poblacion, Sibuco.

Authorities did not disclose the motive for the abduction, although there were speculations that one of the suspects was jealous and resented Eastman for marrying his former partner, whom he wanted to reconcile with.

Police said Jamani has been uncooperative.

In early December, authorities shifted their search for 26-year-old Eastman from a rescue mission to a recovery effort, convinced the foreigner is already dead.

Police cited accounts of witnesses and a suspect in custody who claimed Eastman was shot at least twice after resisting his abductors.

Lieutenant Colonel Ramoncelio Sawan, police spokesperson for the Zamboanga Peninsula, said there was an extrajudicial confession from an arrested suspect that Eastman’s body was dumped in Zamboanga waters shortly after the abduction, corroborating earlier witness accounts.

Based on the information, Sawan said Eastman died on a motorized banca shortly after his abduction and then his body was thrown overboard. His remains, however, have not been recovered.

Eastman, who had been living in Mindanao for five months with his Filipino wife, Karisha Jala, was a struggling content creator and YouTuber who chronicled his life in Zamboanga del Norte.

His vlogs offered candid glimpses into his relationships, financial struggles and fears, as well as tensions with his family back in the United States. – Rappler.com