Bomb suspect nabbed in Basilan

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — A man tagged in a bomb attack on a military checkpoint in Basilan was arrested following a brief firefight in Lamitan over the weekend.

Ernie Hawari, alias Kulot, is reportedly a member of the Abu Sayyaf bandit group, according to Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, chief of the Joint Task Force Basilan and the Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade.

The arrest of Hawari was a result of a special operation launched by a joint team of the police Special Action Force and the Army’s 18th Infantry Battalion in Barangay Baimbing on Saturday.

Hawari reportedly shot the approaching team of police and military officers, triggering a firefight that left him wounded.

Authorities recovered a rifle, grenades and ammunition from Hawari, who was brought to Lamitan City District Hospital for treatment.

Gobway said a witness identified Hawari as one of the men who planted an improvised explosive device at a checkpoint in Barangay Campo Uno in August 2021.

The explosion killed a soldier and wounded another person.