ASG members linked to deadly Zambo attacks nabbed

From ABS-CBN (Mar 6): 2 ASG members linked to deadly Zambo attacks nabbed

Authorities have arrested two members of the Abu Sayyaf group allegedly responsible for the deadly attacks in Zamboanga City, including the November 2012 bombing of a pension house that killed 3 persons.
 
By virtue of an operation supported by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa’s Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime (PCTC), Sajid Amajad - also known as Abu Tahjid - and his brother Edil, were arrested in an operation conducted in Barangay Muti in Zamboanga on Tuesday morning.

“Sajid was arrested at around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday while driving his motorcycle and was subsequently turned over to Zamboanga City Police Office. About two hours later or at 11:20 a.m. of the same day, his brother, Edil, was arrested during a follow up operation,” said retired police Gen. Felizardo Serapio Jr., executive director of the PCTC.

The brothers supposedly report to Khair Mundos, who has a $500,000 reward on his head. Mundos is believed to be a key leader and financier of the Abu Sayyaf, a militant group that has links to international terror organizations al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah.

Mundos was captured in 2004 but he escaped from a provincial jail in 2007. While in government custody, he allegedly confessed to arranging funds for terrorist bombings throughout Mindanao.

The brothers are facing murder charges in connection with the bombing of the Atilano Pension House in downtown Zamboanga City in November 2012, which also left 27 injured.

The Amajads were also reportedly among those responsible for the bombing of Rural Transit Bus along MCCL Highway in Barangay Guiwan, Zamboanga City in August last year.

At least six people, including a two-year-old child, were injured when an improvised bomb ripped through the passenger bus.

They also allegedly took part in the kidnapping of two Chinese traders, one of whom was rescued by government security forces during a daring daylight raid on the Abu Sayyaf’s newly-established training camp in Barangay Calabasa last September.

Five members of the terror group were killed and one was arrested following the raid.

The operation that led to the arrest of the Amajads was initiated by the anti-terrorism task force “Sanglahi” and was carried out by operatives from Task Force Zamboanga, Police Regional Office 9, the PCTC, 84th Special Action Company of the PNP Special Action Force, Police Regional Intelligence Unit 9, Zamboanga City Police Office, Naval Intelligence Support Group-Western Mindanao and the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations for Western Mindanao.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/03/06/13/2-asg-members-linked-deadly-zambo-attacks-nabbed