Explosives seized in anti-terror raid

Authorities arrested yesterday a woman who suspected of having links with terrorist groups during a raid of a four-storey Muslim tenement in Cubao, Quezon City.

Superintendent Procopio Lipana identified the suspect as Fatima Santos, 28, a native of Sultan Kudarat. She and his husband were the subject of an arrest warrant issued by a Quezon City judge.

Lipana said her husband identified as Hilario de la Rosa, alias Ustad Ahmad Islam Santos, was not around during the raid.

Investigators said joint operatives from various police and intelligence offices, including the Central Police District, swooped down the residence located at 50 Purdue street corner Ermin Garcia at around 2 p.m.

The raid was conducted based on information gathered by the intelligence community about the presence of suspected terrorists being housed at the tenement.

Raiding teams recovered a 5.56 rifle and ammunition; two rifle grenades; magazines for an M-16 rifle; blasting caps; a detonating cord; bladed weapons; two binoculars; a scope for an M-16; a gas mask; and still undetermined quantity of ammonium nitrate, enough to destroy an entire building.

Authorities also seized video cassette tapes, CDs and various documents and a book on jihad.

Police said the firearms and explosives were taken from the rooms on the third floor and from a "mosque" located on the fourth floor.

Another raid was conducted by government operatives at a house located on Cristina Lane, in Diamondville, Barangay Kaligayahan, Novaliches yesterday afternoon.

Lawmen failed to catch the suspect Adi Abdullah Arras, who was allegedly involved in recent bomb attack in Pangasinan, but found and confiscated C-4 explosive, boxes of cyanide and jungle bolo.