Joint Army-PNP forces arrest 5 Maute group followers

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 23): Joint Army-PNP forces arrest 5 Maute group followers

Government forces arrested on Thursday five militants allied with the Maute terror group after a series of police-Army operations in Barira, Maguindanao, officials said Friday.

Senior Supt. Agustin Tello, Maguindanao provincial director, said one of the suspects was implicated in the Sept. 2 Davao City bombing that left 15 dead and 60 others wounded.

He identified the bombing suspect as Jessy Vincent Orihinal, a former member of Maguindanao police office. He was arrested along with Ibrahim Arumpac, Hamza Bagul, Musa Rasamallah and Mohammad Said Biniday. They are now detained at Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (CIDG-ARMM) and undergoing tactical interrogation.

Tello said the police received a tip from concerned citizens about the presence of suspicious men in Barangay Nabalawag, Barira, Maguindanao.

Acting on the tip, Tello said a joint Barira PNP and Army's 37th Infantry Battalion conducted operation that also led to the recovery of six luxury vehicles the group was trying to hide in the mountains of Barira.

Citing intelligence information, Tello said the group belonged to Maute terror cell operating in Maguindanao.

Reports said the group wanted to hide the vehicles in Barira before bringing them to Butig in Lanao del Sur where the Maute group operates.

Known as the Dawlah Islamiya, the Maute group led by Omar Maute, has been on the run for three weeks now following a 12-day Army operation that drove them out of Butig, a town they occupied for three days.

Tello said police seized a white Toyota Tamaraw FX (ULB-358), a gray Mitsubishi Adventure (DSL-162), a white Mitsubishi Montero (AEX-783), a white Toyota Fortuner (TDQ-440), a silver Toyota Fortuner (TQK-892) and a Toyota Hi-Ace van without license plate.

He said the CIDG and Land Transportation Office-Maguindanao are now validating the ownership and registration of the impounded vehicles.

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