‘Terrorists for hire’ also on target list

Metro police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco assured the public that other members of an alleged group of "terrorists for hire" will soon be arrested and placed behind bars to prevent them from creating havoc in the metropolis.

"The long arm of the law will catch them," said Velasco, referring to the four men who managed to escape when police raided their hideout in Quiapo last Sunday.

Quoting an intelligence report, Velasco said the four suspects have gone back to Mindanao shortly after the raid, which led to the arrest of their alleged leader Hadji Abbas Abdulkadirs, 44, and two other companions Menor Delinogun, 42, and Aga Ayub, 64.

"Even if they are in Metro Manila or in Mindanao, they will be arrested wherever they are," said Velasco, adding that the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) will coordinate with other law enforcers nationwide to immediately arrest Abdulkadir’s men.

During the raid, police found explosives, including 18 sticks of dynamite, two hand grenades, two packages of ammonium nitrate and three battery-operated timers.

Velasco claimed the group was available "for hire" by those seeking to sow terror in the community.

Abdulkadir, a dismissed member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), and his men were earlier mistaken to be members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which police said could conduct sympathy attacks in Metro Manila in response to the ongoing war in Iraq.

The NCRPO chief said he would also tap mayors, governors and barangay officials to help them gather information about the terrorists for hire.

"With the help of local government and barangay officials, the job of the law enforcers in gathering information against terrorists will become easier," he said. – Cecille Suerte-Felipe