Indonesian among 3 caught in Sarangani town with 10 assault rifles

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — An Indonesian national is undergoing tactical interrogation after he and two Filipino companions were stopped at a checkpoint in Kiamba town in Sarangani on Saturday and found to be transporting assault rifles.

Indonesian Anton Gobay, 29, and his Filipino companions, Michael Tino, 25, and the 53-year-old Jimmy Adolbe, are being held at the Kiamba Municipal Police Station.

Police Brig Gen. Jamili Macaraeg, director of the Police Regional Office-12, said Sunday the suspects were immediately detained when police at a security roadblock in Barangay Nalus in Kiamba found 10 AR-15 assault rifles in the tricycle they were riding in.

Combined personnel of PRO-12's 1204th Mobile Company and the Kiamba municipal police were about to let the three men through the roadblock when they noticed and inspected a box at the rear of the tricycle. Ten assault rifles were found in the box, police said.

Macaraeg said PRO-12 will inform the Indonesian Embassy of Gobay's arrest.

Intelligence agents in the Sarangani Provincial Police Office and PRO-12 are now trying to determine if he has links with three allied terrorist groups in central Mindanao, the Al-Khobar, the Dawlah Islamiya and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.