American reportedly kidnapped in Philippines and shot in leg as he resisted

Police in the Philippines said Friday they've launched a search after gunmen reportedly abducted an American national who was shot in the leg as he tried to resist before being spirited away from a southern coastal town by speedboat.

If confirmed to be a case of kidnapping for ransom, it would be the latest reminder of the long-running security problems that have hounded the southern Philippines, the homeland of a Muslim minority in the largely Roman Catholic nation.

Police in Sibuco town in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte tried to pursue the suspected abductors and their victim, who they identified as Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, from Vermont, after the reported abduction on Thursday night.