[Philippine Star] The FBI has informed the Philippines that a biological sample taken from a man believed to be top terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, matched the DNA of his brother who is detained in a US facility in Guantanamo.| For now. |
David Bowdich, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s field office in LA, said, "Although the results of the DNA examinations do not provide absolute identification, the results do support that the biological sample provided by Philippine authorities came from Marwan."
Marwan is thought to have been killed during the raid on January 25 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao by the police Special Action Force (SAF). MILF and BIFF forces engaged the SAF in a firefight, preventing the police from taking the body, and killing 44 SAF commandos.
The SAF did, however, manage to cut off the right forefinger of the slain man. This was the specimen sent to the FBI for DNA testing.
Police Director Getulio Napeñas, who was fired as SAF commander, said yesterday he would resign if it turns out that Marwan survived.
Forty-one SAF men from the 84th Special Action Company Seaborne, acting as the assault team, raided a house in Barangay Pidsandawan where Marwan was believed to be hiding, while 36 commandos from the 55th SAC served as blocking force.
An undetermined number of SAF men from the 45th SAC were supposed to reinforce their embattled comrades but the MILF in Barangay Tukanalipao engaged them in a gun battle before they could get near the 55th SAC team.