ASG member in abduction of teachers nabbed in Zambo

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  - Military and police security forces captured one of the most wanted person in the region who is a member of the Abu Sayyaf group, tagged in the kidnapping of three teachers  four years ago, during a raid Thursday dawn in a coastal village  in this city, an official said.

Col. Andrelino Colina, chief of the anti-terror Task Force Zamboanga (TFZ), identified the captured suspect as Jun Jalal Akilan alias Temeng, a member of the Abu Sayyaf Ajijul group and listed as number 11 in the most wanted persons in Western Mindanao.

Colina said the Akilan was captured by the combined forces of the TFZ and City Police Office about 3 a.m. Thursday in a hideout at Barangay Talabaan, an east coast village following intelligence surveillance.

“He did not resist arrest when our forces, backed by the police units, surrounded his hideout,” Colina said.

Colina said the raiding team recovered from the suspect a .45 caliber pistol loaded with ammunition.

According to Colina, the suspect has a standing warrant of arrest for kidnapping and serious illegal detention in connection with the abduction of three public school teachers in 2009 at Barangay Landang Gua and Pangapuyan island in Sacol Island.

The victims, including a female and two  male public school teachers, were held for months in Basilan province before they were freed following payment of ransom.