Man cleared in foiled US embassy bombing

MANILA, Philippines — A Quezon City court has dismissed the charges filed against a man allegedly involved in a foiled bombing at the United States embassy in Manila in 2016.

Nasip Ibrahim, said to be a member of the Islamic State-linked Maute terrorist group, was cleared of the illegal possession of firearms charges filed against him by the police following his arrest in March 2017.

Regional Trial Court Branch 95 Judge Edgardo Bellosillo, in a March 25 decision released to the media recently, granted Ibrahim’s demurrer to evidence plea after Cpl. Mencio Rubi, the policeman who supposedly seized the firearm from Ibrahim, failed to appear during the two-year trial.

Ibrahim was arrested when police served a search warrant at the home of Jamil Baja Tawil, another alleged member of the Maute group, and was initially charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives and illegal drug possession.

The charges of illegal possession of explosives and illegal drugs were dropped after the court deemed that the items were not within the immediate control of the accused.

Ibrahim posted P80,000 bail in November 2017.