5 Abu Sayyaf suspects nabbed in Basilan, Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  - - Joint government security forces arrested separately five Abu Sayyaf militants, one of them tagged in the abduction of foreign missionaries, during operations in Basilan and in this city, according to officials.

Captured in this city were  Muktar Adil Amin alias Putot Ogis Jakaria, a native of Kabasalan, Zamboanga Sibugay province; his three companions Allan Nader Sahidul, Najal Hail Maruji, and Sadat Amilhamja, all residents of this city, according to Col. Andrelino Colina, commanding officer of the military’s Task Force Zamboanga (TFZ).

The suspects were captured in a downtown mall along La Purisima  in this city  at about 4:30 p.m Monday by the joint intelligence operatives of the TFZ and 9th Regional Police Safety Battalion (RPSB), Colina said.

City Police director Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo, said Amin has standing warrant of arrests for illegal detention with robbery and kidnapping with serious illegal detention in connection with the abduction on June 2007 of Italian priest Fr. Giancarlo Bossi and Irish priest Michael Sinnot in 2009.

De Ocampo said Amin was also involved in the kidnapping case of volunteer nurse Maricris Cuartocruz in 2010.

Bossi was abducted after conducting a mass in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay province while Sinnot was  seized from his convent in Pagadian City. Both victims were freed after payment of ransom.

Cuartocruz, on the other hand, was seized from her home in Barangay Manicahan this city.

De Ocampo, however, said the other companions of Amin were subjected to record checking and will be released if they will be found with no criminal records.

Meanwhile, combat police forces and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) arrested during pre-dawn raid another Abu Sayyaf suspect in Lantawan town, Basilan on the same day.

The captured suspect is  identified as Abu Arsad with aliases of Arsad and Musad Abdurasad. He was captured from his safe house at Barangay Baktus about 1:55va.m Monday.

Arsad was tagged to have participated in the abduction of coconut farmer from Golden Harvest plantation in Barangay Tairan, Lantawan on 2001 at the height of the Dos Palmas kidnapping incident.

The police said Arsad has a standing warrant of arrest with nine counts of murder, kidnapping and serious illegal detention.

The suspect was temporarily detained at the headquarters of the NBI regional office.