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| Southeast Asia |
| Rajah Soliman leader captured |
| 2005-10-27 |
| Security forces yesterday said they have captured at least seven terror suspects, including the leader of a group tied to the Jemaah Islamiyah, during a raid in the southern Philippines. Officials paraded the captured leader Hilarion Santos, a Christian convert who allegedly heads the radical group called the Rajah Soliman Movement, blamed by the military for the series of bombings in Manila since 2000. The military also implicated Santos in the kidnapping of 21 mostly Asian and Western holiday-makers in Sipadan island resort off Sabah, Malaysia in 2000 and a foiled bombing in Manila in 2003. Officials said security forces were also tracking down a policeman assigned in Jolo island, Sam Hamdol, also a member of the group, who was able to escape during the raid on their hideout before sunrise. Southern Philippines military chief Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan said among those captured were Santosâ wife Narumruja Amdal and his son Yasser. A military report said another woman was also arrested. Adan said the Rajah Soliman is the most radical group next to the Abu Sayyaf and that the group has cells across the country. âWe have established that Santos and his Rajah Soliman group is tied to Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf. There is an ongoing operation to track down other members of the group hiding in the southern Philippines,â Adan said. He said the raiders seized at least 49 rounds of anti-tank rockets and ammunition and an M16 automatic rifle fitted with a silencer. A computer and radio sets were also seized from the groupâs hideout. Santosâ group, composed mostly of Christians from the main northern Luzon island, is believed to have forged an alliance with the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah â two Al-Qaeda-linked groups suspected of bombings in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, police intelligence officials said. Abu Sayyaf rebels and Filipino Islamic converts trained by Jemaah Islamiyah bomb experts from Indonesia are suspected of last yearâs bombing that ignited an inferno aboard a ferry, killing 116 people in the countryâs worst terrorist attack. Santos is believed to have received bomb training from Jemaah Islamiyah in the southern Philippines in 2000, said police official Rodolfo Mendoza. Santos told military interrogators that he arrived in Zamboanga City after hiding from the military in Talayan town in Maguindanao province, where his group was protected by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels. The MILF strongly denied it provided sanctuary to Santos nor to any of his followers. âThe MILF will not provide any sanctuary to terrorists or those who are advocating terrorism. The MILF has repeatedly denounced terrorism and we are helping the government fight terrorism,â separatist spokesman Eid Kabalu said. But he was quick to say that his group would investigate the militaryâs claim. âWe will work closely with the Philippine government and investigate this allegation,â he said. The commander of a military anti-terror task force, Col. Edgardo Gidaya, said civilians tipped off the authorities about the presence of suspicious men that led to the capture of Santos and his followers. Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon ordered troops to stay vigilant and intensify the campaign against terrorism. âWe should always remain alert and vigilant and intensify our operation against terrorism and other threats to our security, like the communist insurgency,â Esperon said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #4 Reportin B Hard, made me smile. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-10-27 05:37 |
| #3 I actually had to leave the hotel bar, twice, to make phone calls (busted during the last press party) on this and now you want me to explain where I came up with this improbable pile of monkey dung? Sheesh. So, like you think you're my editor or somethin? -30- |
| Posted by: .Reportin B Hard 2005-10-27 03:44 |
| #2 given some of these, cough, cough, movements, cough - "because" might be the only reason. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-10-27 03:42 |
| #1 Santosâ group, composed mostly of Christians from the main northern Luzon island, is believed to have forged an alliance with the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah â two Al-Qaeda-linked groups suspected of bombings in the Philippines and Southeast Asia, police intelligence officials said. Of course, the journalist doesn't tell us why such an unlikely alliance was formed. That would require actual... reporting. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-10-27 03:24 |