Lieutenant Colonel Harold Cabunoc said the raid was conducted by a security team a few hours after the arrest of Mohammad Ali Tambako and four of his alleged associates on Sunday night. Cabunoc said, "It is believed that Tambako and his men were planning to carry out bombings in the area to sow terror and violence. Our men are also looking into the possibility that Tambako and his cohorts were planning to divert attention from the continuing all-out offensive conducted by government forces against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters particularly in Maguindanao province."
The military said Tambako was a close associate of former MILF veteran field commander Ameril Umbra Kato when he broke away to form the BIFF. Tambako served as the BIFF military affairs vice chairman when he broke away from the BIFF over policy differences and established, in turn, another splinter group called the Justice for Islamic Movement.
Tambako was confirmed to have studied abroad before returning to the Philippines to join Moro militant groups. A security expert said, "Because of his exposure to foreign terror networks, he established a network of contacts among notorious groups around the world."