Swiss hostage Lorenzo Vinciguerra (Picture: AP)

A Swiss hostage has escaped from Islamic extremists in a scene reminiscent of a Rambo movie after spending more than two years in captivity.

Lorenzo Vinciguerra, 49, made a run for it while government forces in southern Philippines were firing artillery rounds near the jungle forest where he was being held.

He reportedly grabbed a long knife and hacked a commander from Abu Sayyaf to death before running from the scene in the mountainous Patikul town in Sulu province.

He was shot by another militant as he made his escape.


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He was kidnapped two years ago (Picture: EPA)

Philippine army scout rangers later found him and escorted him to safety.



Mr Vinciguerra thanked the military and said he was happy because he could finally spend Christmas with his family, but worried about his companion, Ewold Horn, who was still in Abu Sayyaf custody.

‘I talked to him and asked him to join me, but he refused,’ Mr Vinciguerra said of Mr Horn, adding the Dutchman had a number of health problems.

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He was forced to kill one of his captors (Picture: Reuters)

Mr Vinciguerra said he felt the extremists would treat Mr Horn well and urged the militants to surrender and start a new life.

‘My final message to everybody: Put the gun down and come out from the forest. It’s a nice life out here,’ he declared.

Mr Vinciguerra was seized by the militants in nearby Tawi Tawi province in February 2012.

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