Abu Sabaya’s sister nabbed

ZAMBOANGA CITY — A sister of Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Sabaya, who was killed in a sea encounter in Zamboanga del Norte two years ago, was arrested on kidnapping charges in Basilan the other day.

Superintendent Bensali Jabarani, Basilan police director, said Satra Abdulaop Tilao was nabbed in Isabela City by a joint police-military team on the strength of a court-issued warrant.

Tilao was tagged as an accessory in the ransom kidnapping of mostly foreign tourists in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan a few years ago.

Her name surfaced when 13 Abu Sayyaf members were meted death last Aug. 13.

Sabaya, whose real name was Aldam Tilao, was believed killed in a sea encounter with government troops off Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte on June 21, 2002. His body was never found.

The Abu Sayyaf is believed to have links with the Jemaah Islamiyah, an Indonesia-based terror group, and with the larger al-Qaeda terrorist network of international fugitive Osama bin Laden.

The military continues to track down Abu Sayyaf leaders and members, who are on the run in smaller units. — With Aurea Calica