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ZAMBOANGA CITY: Soldiers arrested a member of the al-Qaeda-linked
Abu Sayyaf group in the southern island of Sulu, where security
forces are tracking down militants blamed for the recent kidnapping
of a television news crew.
Army Maj. Eugene Batara, a spokesman for the
Western Mindanao Command, said soldiers arrested Jul Akram Hadjail
near Sulu’s airport in Jolo town. He said the militant is facing
criminal charges from various cases in Sulu and had a P150, 000
bounty for his capture.
“Jul Akram Adjail is being interrogated by the
military in Sulu. We are investigating whether he is also involved
in the kidnapping of the television news crew in Sulu,” Batara
told The Manila Times.
Police and military blamed the Abu Sayyaf for
the June 8 kidnapping of ABS-CBN television reporter Ces Drilon and
her cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, including a
Muslim University professor Octavio Dinampo in Maimbung town.
They were freed separately in two groups after a
week allegedly in exchange for P20-million ransoms.
Police also arrested Mayor Alvarez Isnaji of
Sulu and his son Haider after implicating them in the kidnapping.
They were also accused of pocketing up to P3 million from the
alleged ransom payment, but the mayor, who was handpicked by the Abu
Sayyaf to negotiate for the release of the hostages denied the
allegations.
Thousands of troops are now hunting down about
three-dozen militants involved in the kidnapping. The US has offered
as much as $5-million bounty each.
-- Al Jacinto
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