Suspected Abu Sayyaf member caught in Zamboanga Sibugay raid

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- Joint police and military forces captured a suspected member of the Abu Sayyaf after a firefight in a village of Malangas town, Zamboanga Sibugay province late last week, a security official here said Monday.

Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., spokesman of the military's Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), identified the captured suspect as Ibno Sanday, a follower of Abu Sayyaf member Hapidz Abdurahman, who was the target of the joint operation last Thursday at Barangay Sinusayan, in Malangas.

Tan said Abdurahman managed to escape during a firefight with the raiding forces of the 102nd Infantry Brigade and of local police.

The security official said they believe the same group was behind an ambush where Police Inspector Dexter Gumahob Adrias, acting town police chief, was wounded.

Adrias and his team were on an operation when they were ambushed by the gunmen.

Tan said security forces recovered a 12-gauge shotgun with six shells, a loaded cal.45 pistol, and a grenade. They also recovered 14 heat-sealed sachets of shabu and several pieces of rolled aluminum foil, cash and two mobile phones.

The suspect and the recovered illegal drugs and firearms are in police custody.