A suspected foreign ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) leader and his alleged Filipina girlfriend were arrested in a joint counter-terrorism operation conducted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Manila over the weekend.
Fehmi Lassqued alias John Rasheed Lassqued, an Egyptian national according to the PNP, 33, and Anabel Moncera Salipada, 32, of Upi, Maguindanao were presented yesterday by PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa and Brigadier General Bienvenido Datuin Jr, commander of AFP-Civil Relations Service (CRS), at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Fehmi Lassqued a.k.a. John Rasheed Lassqued, a suspected member of the Islamic Terrorist group ISIS, is guarded by members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as he was presented to the media at the PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame, February 19 2018. Lassoued, together with his female companion identified as Anabel Moncera Salipada of Upi Maguinadanao, was arrested by the PNP-AFP counter-terrorism operation in Malate, Manila. (Mark BAlmores)
According to Dela Rosa, Lassoued served as a former negotiator between the ISIS leadership and local government officials in Syria and Turkey, and a former ISIS commander in the Syrian-Turkish border. He now serves as an active ISIS recruiter of prospected Filipino terrorist fighters.
Dela Rosa said Lassoued and Salipada were arrested at Room 409 of Casa Blanca Apartment located on M. Adriatico, Malate, Manila by the virtue of a search warrant issued by a local court. Assorted firearms, ammunition, components for improvised explosive device (IED) and a black ISIS flag were seized from the two suspects.
“We received an information from our foreign counterparts about him, then we did a case buildup and it turned out the information was positive. We applied the search warrant,” Dela Rosa told reporters.
The possibility that Lassoued has already made contact with interested Filipino terrorists was considered by Dela Rosa, however, he couldn’t determine yet the exact number of his recruits.
“He entered the country mid July 2016 via Iran using a fake Tunisian passport. Ever since, he’s been in and out of Manila,” Dela Rosa told reporters.
“If he can recruit via the Internet, how much more if he is already here, he has physical contact with possible recruits. Most likely, anybody can be recruited, those idealist children,” he added.
The two suspects were detained at the PNP Camp Crame in Quezon City
Foreign trips
It was learned that Lassoued made five foreign outings since he arrived in the country including three trips to and from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and two trips to and from Istanbul, Turkey. The trips were recorded from July 26, 2016 to November 9, 2017.
Meanwhile, National Capital Region Police Office director Oscar Albayalde said that Lassoued might have been offering financial assistance to prospected recruits to entice them into joining the ISIS.
“One factor is finance. Apparently, he can sneak in money into the country. We have yet to determine how much money is involved,” he said.
He also stated that Lassoued might have recruited via social media networks and personal visits in conflict-afflicted areas in the country. Aside from foreign trips, authorities are now searching for the places the suspect visited in the Philippines.
Albayalde also said there were indications that Lassoued was planning a terror attack because authorities also confiscated drawings of maps of unidentifiable places from him.
“There are indications (of possible terror plot) because we found some drawings, maps. We will conduct our final tactical interrogation and only then we will know other details,” Albayalde said.
Filipina terrorist?
According to authorities, Salipada denied any involvement into the alleged terrorist activities of Lassoued but intelligence operatives have already conducted further investigation on her.
Albayalde said Salipada might have been used as a cover for the terrorist acts of Lassoued.
“For cover, not necessarily she knew what she was doing but usually, if you want to remain in a specific place for a long time, you will look for a partner, or wife to make your stay legal,” he explained.
‘Still safe’
Although the suspected ISIS leader has infiltrated Manila, Dela Rosa assured that the public is still safe and security remains on high alert.
“We are continuously conducting close coordination with airport authorities. It is a good thing that this terrorist was arrested, that means we’re still safe,” Dela Rosa said.
https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/19/suspected-terrorist-filipina-girlfriend-arrested-in-malate-manila-by-afp-pnp-joint-team/
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