Abdul Kareem Jassim Bidawi alias Abdul Kareem al Nasrawi, and Mohammad Sabri Selamah Abusweireh alias Mohammad al Gabri, both Iraqis, were nabbed during a nationwide crackdown on suspected al-Qaeda terrorists in the country.
Bidawi was said to be a former Iraqi intelligence agent who reported to Husham Hussein, Iraqi embassy second secretary, who was ordered deported for his involvement in last year’s Zamboanga City terrorist bombings.
Police said Bidawi was also a close associate of Hisham Abdullah Satar, an Iraqi who was deported in 1991 after being involved in the attempted bombing of the US Thomas Jefferson Library in Makati City.
Senior Superintendent Romeo Ricardo, Task Force Sanlahi commander, said Bidawi was arrested at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last March 17.
Ricardo said Bidawi had organized and actively participated in actions against the Philippine government in violation of immigration laws.
Until the last minute, Bidawi tried to fight off his deportation by resorting to different legal maneuvers.
Abusweireh was arrested two years ago in Barangay Crossing, Simuay in Sultan Kudarat.
Police seized from him explosive components and other bomb-making devices, and several fake Philippine and Malaysian immigration and travel documents.– Jaime Laude