Immigration to deport suspected Pakistani bomber

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration is set to deport a Pakistani man believed to be in the country to meet with an Abu Sayyaf leader to carry out suicide bombings in Basilan.

In a statement Wednesday, the bureau said agents of its Mindanao Intelligence Task Group and the Philippine National Police arrested Waqar Ahmad in Zamboanga City.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said Ahmad will undergo deportation proceedings for being an undesirable alien due to alleged terrorist links and for working in the country without permit.

Morente said intelligence reports indicate Ahmad has alleged links to the radical Islamist group Dawlah Islamiya, which believed to have ties with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and the Maute terrorist group.

The Maute terrorist group laid siege to Marawi City in 2017. The two groups are also said to be behind several bombing attacks in Southern Philippines.

“Authorities suspected that Dawlah Islamiya was behind the bomb explosion that wounded 18 people at a restaurant in Insulan, Sultan Kuldarat last April 4,” the bureau also said.

Authorities arrested Ahmad after several days of intensive surveillance at an appliance store in Zamboanga City where he worked a storekeeper and collector, the BI said.

Morente said: “He (Ahmad) will be deported as his presence here is inimical to national security. He also violated our immigration laws by working here without applying for an employment visa.”

The Immigration commissioner said Ahmad will be placed on the country’s blacklist and will not be allowed to come back to the country. — Kristine Joy Patag