MANILA, Philippines —The operating units of Philippine National Police Regional Office 10 on Sunday apprehended the wife of slain terror leader Omar Maute in Iligan City.
Iligan City Police director Senior Superintendent Leon Roy Ga said police and some operating units of Joint Task Force Ranao raided the home of Maute’s wife, Minhati Madrais, which led to her arrest. The police also took custody of her six children aged 12 below.
According to Ga, the government unit reportedly received an arrest and search seizure order against a certain alias “Baby” later on determined to be Madrais.
Ga said the raiding team recovered explosive devices and chemicals which were now under police custody for laboratory examination.
The police chief added that Madrais was identified as an Indonesian national who arrived in the country in 2012. Ga said her passport expired in 2016.
The authorities are now determining Madarais’ participation in the five-month-long Marawi City crisis.
Asked why Madrais was included in the arrest order, Ga said the intelligence information found probable cause to connect her in the siege.
“‘Yun pa ang tinitignan (That's what we're looking into now) [linkages and participation]. Right now, ongoing ang debriefing sa kanya,(there is an ongoing debriefing on Madrais),” Ga said in a televised press briefing, adding that her mobile phones were also being reviewed.
Meanwhile, Ga said the city's social welfare and development office was tapped to take care of the children of Madrais as one of them is only 9-months-old.
Maute and another terror leader Isnilon Hapilon were killed in a military operation last October.
Omar was a figurehead of the pro-Islamic State Maute group along with his brother Abdullah, who was reportedly killed in September.