Hamas bomb expert nabbed in Pampanga

MANILA, Philippines — An Iraqi citizen with suspected links to the Islamic militant group Hamas was arrested in Angeles City, Pampanga on Sunday.

Taha Mohamed Al-Jabouri, 64, who reportedly served as a consultant of Hamas, was collared at around 3 a.m. in Barangay Malabanias following a tip from village officials.

Police operatives said they confiscated a black luggage containing an undetermined amount of cash and personal belongings from the suspect.

“The Iraqi embassy described Al-Jabouri as a chemist with knowledge on explosives and is known to have close ties with extremist movements in the Middle East,” Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa told a press briefing yesterday.

“He admitted he is a member of Hamas. He is a chemist and he has been responsible for improving the...technology in firing missiles from their area toward... Israel,” Dela Rosa said.

Hamas is on the United States’ list of foreign terrorist organizations.

The Iraqi embassy alerted Philippine authorities when Al-Jabouri arrived in the country last August while the country was hosting the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and government troops were fighting Maute militants in Marawi.

“The Iraqi embassy panicked...There was a degree of suspicion,” Dela Rosa said.

He said there was no indication that Al-Jabouri was plotting terrorism in the country.

During interrogation, Al-Jabouri said he came to the Philippines to meet a group of Chinese businessmen who hired him as a consultant.

However, Dela Rosa said they are not discounting the possibility that Al-Jabouri had planned to meet local terrorists.

“We don’t know if he has a contact who was trapped in Marawi,” Dela Rosa said.

The Bureau of Immigration will initiate deportation proceedings against Al-Jabouri.