Abu Obaida, alias Abu Hayer, was captured Friday in a remote village inBarangay Bato in Lamitan, Basilan after being tipped off by residents to his presence, said Southern Command spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero.
Obaida, a resident of Barangay Kumalarang, Isabela City, is a member of the group of Hamsiraji Sali that raided the Dos Palmas resort in May 2001 and took hostage 17 Filipinos and three Americans - Guillermo Sobero of Corona, California, and missionary couple Gracia and Martin Burham.
Army 103rd Brigade commander Col. Bonifacio Ramos said Obaida was directly involved in beheading Sobero on June 12, 2001, as an "Independence Day gift" to President Arroyo. Sobero’s remains were found in the Basilan jungle four months later.
Ramos said Obaida is undergoing tactical interrogation before he could be turned over to the police for the filing of criminal charges.
An intelligence report also said the military intensified its search for at least 10 members of the bandit group who reportedly fled toward the Malaysian state of Sabah by speedboat.
The 10 rebels sneaked out of Patikul town in Sulu recently, fleeing a military offensive on the island, a stronghold of the gang that has been linked by both Washington and Manila to the al-Qaeda terror network, the report said.
In the group which headed for Sabah are those who took part in the kidnapping of 21 Filipino, Malaysian and Western hostages from dive resorts in Sabah two years ago.
Malaysian authorities, who have been told of the development, have reportedly stepped up patrols in the maritime border with the Philippines.
The resort raid was the start of a yearlong kidnapping spree in which the Abu Sayyaf seized more than 100 people. Some of the hostages were released after ransoms were paid, others escaped and about 18 were killed.
The spate of kidnappings of Americans prompted the United States to send more than 1,000 troops to the southern Philippines for a joint counterterrorism exercise aimed at helping Filipino soldiers wipe out the Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked by Washington to the al-Qaeda terror network.
Martin Burham and Filipino nurse Ediborah Yap were killed in a rescue operation by US-trained soldiers in June. Burnham’s wife was wounded.
The counterterrorism exercise has been credited with helping Filipino troops break up the Abu Sayyaf and track down key leaders.
Around 5,000 troops have been rotating in Sulu and Basilan hunting down the remaining 300 Abu Sayyaf bandits who are still holding hostages four women of Jehovah’s Witnesses and three Indonesian sailors.
The Abu Sayyaf is reportedly demanding P16 million ransom for their release. – Roel Pareño, Jaime Laude, AFP