Abu Sayyaf kidnap leader, 3 others nabbed

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - An Abu Sayyaf kidnapping cell leader and three others were arrested by the joint police and military forces Sunday night in a village west coast of Zamboanga City, police said on Monday. 

The arrest of suspects came hours after the police and military intelligence forces nabbed an Abu Sayyaf suspect, tagged in the kidnapping and beheading of six members of Jehovah’s Witnesses about 12 years ago in Sulu.

The police said the arrest also foiled the Abu Sayyaf group’s kidnapping attempt amid heightened security in the city due to the kidnapping and terrorist threats.

Police Superintendent Luisito Magnaye, area chief for Western Mindanao of Criminal Investigation and Detection (CIDU), identified the captured suspects as Jerry Intimani alias Jumong, team leader,  Gabir Masturan and Samara Akbaw.

Magnaye said the suspects were members of the kidnap-for-ransom cell of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Hairulla Asbang who is based in Sulu.

He said the suspects initially eluded the combined security forces implementing the operation ‘Oplan Paglalansag Omega’ about 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

“However, follow-up operation on the safehouse on the suspects led to the arrest about 9:30 p.m. at the beach front of sitio Karagasan, Barangay Maasin, west coast of this city,” Magnaye told newsmen here. 

The arresting forces also recovered from the suspects two units of .45 caliber pistols, a hand grenade and the suspects’ getaway ‘jungkong’ watercraft, a Malaysian-fashioned speedboat that could cut through shallow waters powered with three outboard engines. 

Magnaye said one of the suspects confessed they used the jungkong speedboat in going to Malaysia. 

“We are verifying if the said speedboat was utilized by the Abu Sayyaf in the previous kidnapping cases in Sabah,” Magnaye added. 

City Police director Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro said they also recovered the kidnapping sketch plan of the suspects targeting the son of a prominent shipyard owner and a businessman near the area. 

“Initially, they planned to conduct the kidnapping in the downtown but due to the security visibility they have diverted the attempt in the coastal area,” Casimiro said during a joint press briefing conducted by Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar at the city hall. 

Casimiro said the suspects are Sulu-based and used the city as their transient point where they hired and paid spotters for their target victims in the kidnappings. 

He said the recovered jungkong was turned over to the custody of the police Special Action Force Seaborne unit for proper disposition.

Meanwhile, Casimiro said joint security elements also captured Sattar Abdulla during a raid in Barangay Tumalutab, an island village about a half nautical mile east of this city pre-dawn Sunday. 

The security forces armed with warrant of arrest issued by a local court captured Abdulla, a member of the Abu Sayyaf group under the late leader Nadzmi Saabtullah alias Commander Global and was tagged in the kidnapping of the six Jehovah’s Witness members sometime in 2002 in Patikul town. 

Salazar lauded the police and military for arresting the suspects and called on the residents to continue its vigilance and act as force multipliers in helping the authorities. 

“The swift actions of the police and military have prevent and protected the people from the criminal acts of this Abu Sayyaf group,” Salazar said reminding the people the city has a standing reward system for any informant who can lead to the arrest and neutralization of terrorists.