Weapons captured from encounters with BIFF. File photograph by Dennis Arcon, InterAksyon.com
The radical Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) has been trying to rebuild itself by recruiting more young members into their ranks in the past several months, a source from the police intelligence community disclosed on Monday.
A police intelligence officer based in Philippine National Police (PNP) general headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, who requested anonymity, said that the intelligence establishment has monitored RSM recruiting new members, and "most of their members now are younger and more aggressive."
There have been at least two cells of the RSM suspected to be used as springboard for launching terror attacks in Luzon and even in Metro Manila.
"We are monitoring their cells ... one in Cavite and the other one in Novaliches in Quezon City," the intelligence officer said.
One terror cell of RSM in Cubao, Quezon City has been decommissioned by the group and apparently moved to another location in Laguna.
RSM is a group of former Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) who had converted to Islam as their new religion. It was founded by Hilarious del Rosario, alias 'Backhand Santos', sometime in the 90's.
It has been tagged as involved in several deadly attacks in past that has killed dozens of people and wounded scores of others – the deadliest of which was the bombing of Superferry 14 on February 27, 2004 while cruising on Manila Bay.
Akhmad Santos was arrested by government security forces sometime in the later part of 2005 in Zamboanga City, and has been detained ever since in Bicutan, Taguig City.
The intelligence officer said their concern is that RSM veterans could serve as guides or advisers to newly-trained recruits of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in launching attacks outside their usual area of operation in Mindanao.
He added that at least 100 new recruits of the BIFF have completed their training on bomb-making in Central Mindanao, and these new recruits could be assigned test missions outside their home areas.
The BIFF, along with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), are among the local extremist groups in Mindanao suspected to have associated themselves with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) that have taken over wide territories in the Middle East.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/124674/police-intelligence-believes-rsm-trying-to-regroup-rebuild
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