| A Muslim militant believed to have been trained by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and suspected of being involved in deadly bombings in the southern Philippines has been arrested in Manila, police said Thursday. The suspect, who is aged in his early 30s and identified only as Mentang, was captured by intelligence agents in Paco district on Wednesday in possession of an unlicenced handgun. Officials said initial investigations revealed he may be a member of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which has been negotiating peace with Manila. "Apparently, he is a member of the breakaway faction of the MILF and he claimed to have been trained by JI elements in central Mindanao," a police intelligence official said. "He has revealed their group's plan to conduct bombing operations in the southern Philippines," the official said without elaborating. Mentang is suspected of being involved in the bombings of an airport and a wharf in the southern city of Davao last year which killed 38 people and left more than 100 dead. |