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| Southeast Asia |
| Filippino authorities hunting 320 JI graduates |
| 2005-01-11 |
| Some 320 suspected Muslim militants are being hunted in connection with terrorist plots, including an alleged plan to bomb the Feast of the Black Nazarene procession in Quiapo, Manila last Sunday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday. PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) officer-in-charge Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Mendoza said the 320 were being hunted following the apprehension of 16 suspected militants in a Manila Islamic library on Friday. At least three improvised explosive devices and hand guns were seized in the raid which police said foiled the planned bombing of the Black Nazarene procession, in which an ebony image of Jesus was paraded around Quiapo. The procession pushed through without a hitch. Organizers said it was the biggest crowd in recent years. Five of the 16 suspected militants were charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives. The rest were released. The 320 suspects are believed to have undergone explosives training in the northern Philippines in 2002, most of them as members of the "Rajah Solaiman Group," said Mendoza. He also said they were involved with Allan Borlagdatan, a convert to Islam who was arrested in December while allegedly trying to plant a bomb on a bus. He was later shot dead after grabbing the firearm of his police guard and killing him. A movement to convert more Filipinos to Islam, called "Balik-Islam" (Return to Islam) has also been linked with the alleged conspiracy, though its members denied being involved with the bomb plots. Meanwhile, some 100 members of various Muslim groups held a rally at the Camp Crame in Quezon City, demanding the release of the five suspects still held after Friday's raid. The protesters carried placards calling for the release of Afghani Alonto, Muamar Adam, Leonardo Akhmed Ricalde, Josefino Yusof Aor and Alih Nadja Hashim. The protesters came from the ranks of the Assalam Bangsamoro People's Party, Balik Islam Unity Congress, and the party-list group Anak Mindanao led by Rep. Mujib Hataman. "Release Ricalde and the Islamic teachers of the Islamic Information Center," one of the placards, written in Filipino, read. Usof Ledesma, a spokesman for Balik Islam Unity Congress, said the evidence against the five was planted. He added that Mendoza and Superintendent Alen Bantolo of the CIDG's Task Force Maverick lied when they said the arrested Muslims were plotting a suicide bomb attempt at the Quiapo Church procession. Penny Disimbal, national president of the Assalam Bangsamoro People's Party, branded as "irresponsible" the CIDG's claims that the arrested men were terrorists. "We strongly condemn the PNP statement tagging the innocent Muslim as out to plot bombings of the Quiapo processions, during the celebration of the Day of the Black Nazarene," Disimbal said. "This irresponsible posturing creates undue animosities and fans unfounded hatred between Muslims and Christians, to the detriment of the Filipino people," he said. Disimbal added that they have witnesses to prove that the alleged explosives and firearms seized from the suspects were "planted" by law enforcers who barged into the Islamic Information Center, located on the second floor of the Agoncillo Building on Pedro Gil street and Taft Avenue in Manila, without search warrants. Witnesses said two members of the raiding team brought black bags where the supposed explosives and firearms were kept, later presenting these to reporters as evidence. "We abhor and detest the unceremonious desecration of the Muslim Mussalla prayer room and learning center and the arrest of 16 innocent Muslim individuals without justifiable reason or basis and the continuing harassment of the Muslims in Metro Manila and elsewhere," Disimbal said. Both Ledesma and Disimbal cleared the five suspected terrorists of any wrongdoing. "Definitely, Afghani Alonto and four of his companions are not terrorists... We are not against terrorists being caught, we are against wrongful arrests," Ledesma said. Ledesma defended the suspects from accusations that they were engaged in the recruitment and training of would-be members of their "terrorist cells." He noted that Alonto, one of the suspects, openly announced they are entertaining individuals who want to learn the Koran. Alonto set one lesson on Jan. 8, but he was arrested the day before by law enforcers from the CIDG, the Western Police District and the Sala'am Police. "We do not train terrorists... We only want to disseminate the teachings of Islam to those who go to the Islamic Information Center," Ledesma said. He added that his group has been trying to stay away from controversy since arrests of some of their former leaders and members, which included Borlagdatan and Redendo Cain Dellosa, a suspect in the SuperFerry 14 bombing that killed more than 100 people in the country's worst terrorist attack in February last year. Ledesma said his colleagues wanted to live "normal lives" and simply study the Koran since the police operations against Dellosa and other members of the Rajah Solaiman Movement some two to three years ago. Mendoza claimed the suspects were part of the Hukbong Khalid Trinidad, an alleged cell of the RSM. Ranking police intelligence officials distanced themselves from the CIDG operations, saying Friday's raid was conducted without evidence of the group's alleged terrorist activities. Angered by the arrests, Muslim leaders also accused the PNP-CIDG of using Muslims as "pawns" to receive more funds, possibly from the United States, in the guise of boosting the country's efforts against terrorism. About 30 minutes before the Muslim groups staged the surprise picket yesterday, PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil presented anew to the media the suspects inside their detention cells in the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response building to disprove claims of torture. Mendoza said in a statement issued late yesterday that Friday's raid was brought about by "verified information" gathered by the CIDG that the center was being used as a front by radical Islamist groups and individuals. Manila regional trial court Executive Judge Enrico Lanzanas issued the search warrant on charges that the suspects violated Presidential Decree 1866, which covers the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. "The initial search yielded improvised explosive devices and firearms," Mendoza said. He added that out of 17 people arrested during the raid, five were presented before a public prosecutor for inquest proceedings while the rest were released after their identities were verified. "The CIDG assures the public, particularly our Muslim brothers and sisters, that we shall continue to dig deeper into this case if only to go after those who give Islam a bad name and thereby safeguard public safety and national interest," Mendoza said. Ledesma also denounced the apparent failure of the Sala'am Police — a specialized unit formed by the PNP to address the concerns of Muslims — in defending the rights of those faithful to Islam. He alleged that the Sala'am Police failed to help Mona Yusoph, 24, who was reportedly raped twice when she was detained at the compound of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) from Oct. 6 to 24 last year. Yusoph was held incommunicado at the ISAFP compound in Camp Aguinaldo after she was arrested with other suspected terrorists, according to Ledesma. She was later released after police filed charges of illegal possession of firearms against her. Ledesma said Yusoph's relatives and friends were given the run-around when they tried to find her at the AFP and other offices in Camp Crame. Yusoph, who is engaged in the travel agency business, flew back to Mindanao traumatized by the sexual abuse she underwent while under ISAFP custody, he added. A medico-legal report on Yusoph revealed her vagina sustained 14 lacerations as a result of the two incidents of rape while she was detained at the ISAFP, Ledesma said. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |