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| Southeast Asia |
| RSIM bombmaker arrested |
| 2005-12-20 |
| Military intelligence operatives arrested an alleged bomb-maker of the Rajah Solaiman Islamic Movement (RSIM) during a raid in Zamboanga province, DZMM reported Tuesday. The Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) identified the suspect as Pio de Vera, allegedly the second highest ranking official of the RSIM. RSIM leader Hilarion del Rosario Santos III, also known as Ahmad Islam Santos, earlier identied de Vera as one of his classmates in "explosives training" conducted by Islamic militants in Pawas, Maguindanao, in 2002. He said de Vera and another RSIM member Kareem Ayeras were responsible for the purchase and manufacture of explosives for the group. Santos, along with seven other RSIM members, were arrested last month at a safehouse in Sitio Triplet, Barangay San Jose, Zamboanga City. Among those captured were Santos's wife Narumruja Amdal and his son Yasser. Rear Admiral Tirso Danga, Armed Forces deputy chief of staff for intelligence, said Santos established a terrorist training camp with two Indonesian fugitives sought for the 2002 Bali bombings in his family’s farm in Pangasinan. The group also amassed a huge stockpile of explosives, Danga added. Military reports earlier said the RSIM is planning to bomb night spots in Metro Manila during the holidays. The group has been linked to the 2005 Valentine’s Day bombing of a passenger bus. ISAFP reports said the group has ties with Abu Sayyaf and the Jema'ah Islamiyah terror network. The Rajah Solaiman Movement is an organization of Islamic converts whose announced goal is to include the country in the Pan-Asian Islamic Movement. It changed its name recently to Rajah Solaiman Islamic Movement, allegedly to veer away from its terrorist image. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #1 "It changed its name recently to Rajah Solaiman Islamic Movement, allegedly to veer away from its terrorist image." Kinda like going from "Liberal" to "Progressive". |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2005-12-20 13:53 |