ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Government security forces arrested on Saturday an Abu Sayyaf bomb expert in his hideout just near a military headquarters, authorities said.
Capt. Ma. Rowena Muyuela, spokesperson of the Armed Forces’ Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), identified the captured militant as Nujir Ahidji, alias Abu Jomar, tagged as an expert on improvised explosives.
She said personnel of the anti-terror Task Force Zamboanga and the city police cornered Ahidji after stepped-up intelligence monitoring.
Muyuela said the arresting team was armed with a search warrant issued by the local court when it arrested Ahidji in his safehouse in Southcom Village, just a few meters away from the Westmincom headquarters in Barangay Upper Calarian.
According to Muyuela, Ahidji was placed under the custody of the city police for tactical interrogation.
The police and military, however, could not ascertain if Ahidji was planning to target the adjacent Westmincom headquarters or merely using the proximity of the military camp to conceal his presence in the area.
Muyuela said the raiding forces recovered from Ahidji a cell phone, electrical wirings, tapes and blasting caps, which they said bombers utilize in producing a remotely detonated improved explosive.
Muyuela said Westmincom and the police have been intensifying their operations to thwart criminal activities and arrest leaders and members of the Abu Sayyaf.