THE military said Monday a member of the Abu Sayyaf who served as a contact, spotter and purchaser of high-speed boats in the group’s cross-border hijacking and kidnapping activities was arrested in Tawi-Tawi on Saturday.
Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command, identified the suspect as Sahidul Bandhala Jikiri who carries the aliases Idul, Jamiri Saidul, Saidul Idul and Jikiri Saidul.
He said Jikiri was a resident of Barangay Sipangkot in Sitangkal town.
Another official said 11 suspected members of the terrorist group Maute were arrested during lightning raids of their lair in Lanao del Sur on Monday.
Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, spokesman of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said the 11 Maute rebels were nabbed in Marogong, Lanao del Sur, around 5:20 a.m.
Maj. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the Maute members were in three houses when they were surprised by soldiers in simultaneous raids.
The military raiding team seized eight high-powered firearms including a 60mm mortar grenade launcher, an M60 machine gun, an M14 rifle, an M16 rifle, a Garand rifle and several ammunition.
Petinglay said members of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 10 were talking with some residents in Sipangkot when one of the residents identified Jikiri as an alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf.
Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi commander Brigadier General Custodio Parcon confirmed the incident.
Parcon said Jikiri also served as contact person of Abu Sayyaf sub-leaders Abraham Hamid, Salip Susung, Nixon Muktadil and Brown Muktadil “when crafting plans for kidnapping and cross-border hijacking, targeting mostly foreign nationals and vessels.”
He said the Raden Abu group and Alden Bagade group of the Abu Sayyaf had also used Jikiri as their “errand man in procuring speedboats and other requirements needed to support kidnapping activities.”
“Jikiri revealed that the sub-leaders would pay him for every errand they asked him to do for them,” Parcon said.
“He also got part of the money every time the family of a kidnap victim paid ransom in exchange for their release.”