2 BIFM member arrested in Sultan Kudarat

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Two suspected members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) were arrested during a raid on their hideout in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat last Friday.

Chief Superintendent Alex Paul Monteagudo, director of Region 12 police, said Samson Kauten and Bulayat Mamaluba were arrested in Barangay Pimbalayan.

Monteagudo said an M-16 rifle, a caliber .45 pistol, an Uzi, a 9mm and assorted ammunition for rifles and handguns were seized from the suspects.

Investigators are interrogating Kauten and Mamaluba to determine their alleged links with another confessed BIFM member, Abdul Usman, who was arrested near the scene of Friday’s explosion in Tacurong City.

Responding policemen collared Usman, who hails from Pagalungan, Maguindanao, while suspiciously fleeing from the scene carrying an empty bag.

 No one was injured or killed in the attack, but the bombing triggered panic in Tacurong City.