Intel build-up helped neutralize JI member, says Davao police official

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 17): Intel build-up helped neutralize JI member, says Davao police official

A police official here cited the effective intelligence build-up against threat and terrorist groups to have greatly helped in the death of a Malaysian member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the arrest of his Filipino wife. This was according to Supt. Leonardo Felonia, chief of the Philippine National Police-Intelligence Group’s Regional Intelligence Unit 11 and the designated deputy commander for Mindanao of Task Force-Sanglahi, which was created by the PNP to intensify operations against terrorist groups. "Sometime in October 2012, our unit monitored and reported a series of imminent threats of Mindanao-wide terrorist attacks that could include the City of Davao and Metro Manila as their main targets,” Felonia said in a statement.

He said the intelligence reports prompted them together with Task Force-Sanglahi to conduct several case build-ups against these terrorist groups to deter any terror plan. At 10:45 p.m. last December 14, Mohd Noor Firkie Bin Abd Kahar, a Malaysian national and suspected JI terrorist, was shot dead by a member of a Special Weapons Action Team of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) at Toryano’s Grill in front of Apo View Hotel along Legaspi Street here where he was cornered after a brief chase.
Investigation showed that at 7 p.m., the alleged terrorist with his wife Annabel Nieva Lee, a native of Sorsogon, was monitored to have checked-in at Room 204, Sampaguita Hotel located in corner Camus and Quirino Streets.

Immediately, personnel of DCPO led by its own chief, Sr. Supt. Ronald dela Rosa, Task Force Davao (TFD), and other intelligence units immediately responded to the area and started to negotiate with the management of the hotel for the ejection of said suspects from their rented room. At 10:30 p.m., the couple finally went out of the hotel room to check-out. While at the lobby of the said hotel, the woman spotted wearing traditional Muslim attire with black backpack containing an improvised explosive device (IED) was accosted by dela Rosa while Kahar was accosted by elements of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) 11 and 12 but was able to raise his cellphone and threatened to explode the bomb with it as triggering device. The lawmen scampered for safety and the duo went out of the hotel embracing each other while the suspected JI terrorist was holding the cellphone, warning them of an impending IED explosion.

The suspect got the backpack and was able to run toward People’s Park until he was cornered and fatally shot by the pursuing SWAT team.  Combined teams of EOD from DCPO, TFD and PRO-11 detonated the IED composed of 60MM mortar thru a water disruptor. Recovered cellphones and other explosive materials were turned over to NICA-11. The suspect’s wife is now detained at the Investigation and Detection Management Branch of DCPO for further investigation while the body of the JI terrorist was brought to the Angel Funeral Parlor.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=480633