Sayyaf militant captured in Basilan province

From the Mindanao Examiner (Sep 30): Sayyaf militant captured in Basilan province

Police commandos, backed by army soldiers, have recaptured a notorious Abu Sayyaf militant who escaped from jail in 2009 after he was tracked down in his hideout in Lamitan City in the troubled Muslim autonomous region in southern Philippines.

Security officials said Boy Indama, a follower of Abu Sayyaf leader Furuji Indama, is currently being interrogated following his capture on Thursday. His arrest was not immediately made public because of an operation aimed at capturing other militants and people that protected Indama.

It was not immediately known whether Indama was plotting a terror attack in Basilan, a known stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

Two of its members – Omar Askali and Mukaram Sapie – who are both bomb experts were also captured in Zamboanga City on September 23. The duo was said to be plotting to bomb civilian targets in the city, but this was foiled by security forces following their separate arrest.

Security forces seized a fragmentation grenade and two identification cards, including a cell phone from Askali, a trusted aide of Indama who is tagged by authorities as behind the spate of terror attacks and killings in Basilan. While an improvised explosive and a .45-caliber pistol were also confiscated from Sapie in Taluksangay village.

Zamboanga, which was targeted in the past by Abu Sayyaf bombers, is celebrating a Catholic feast in October.

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