Suspected Abu Sayyaf arrested in Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY — A suspected member of the Abu Sayyaf Group was captured by the military late Thursday inside a public sports complex here, police sources said.

The suspect was identified as a certain Alhusin Imao Amad, 20, a resident of Barangay Sta. Maria.

Amad was captured while playing basketball at the Joaquin F. Enriquez Sports Complex here.

It was not immediately known what was the participation of Amad in theAbu Sayyaf but a witness who came to the military positively identified him as among the members of the bandit group.

According to the police, the suspect was brought to the Hall of Justice for the formal inquest yesterday.

The capture of Amad came barely four days after the military intensified its surveillance against the al-Qaeda linked bandit group and the capture of a bomb expert who is a member of the Abu Sayyaf urban terrorist group in Jolo, Sulu.

The suspect Aldzhezar Salapuddin Jila, 20, was brought to this city along with the cache of improvised bombs and electrical remote devices that would trigger the bombs, TNT, and plastic incendiary.

Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Kyamko has issued a directive to intensify the monitoring and surveillance of the terrorist group. Security in all ports have also been tightened by the police and military.

The order was issued after the military uncovered an Abu Sayyaf plot to bomb a ferry plying the Jolo to Zamboanga route from the captured suspected bomb expert.