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Southeast Asia
Indonesian ISIL fighter arrested in Marawi
2017-11-02
[Al Jazeera] An Indonesian man, who reportedly played a role in the 2016 attacks in Jakarta, has been tossed in the slammer
Into the paddy wagon wit' yez!
near the southern Philippine city of Marawi, where fighters loyal to ISIS fought with the military for five months.

Muhammad Ilham Syaputra was caught on Wednesday while trying to escape from a district in Marawi, where several fighters of the Maute group are in hiding, according to police.

Syaputra reportedly attempted to evade authorities by swimming across Lake Lanao to a town adjacent to Marawi.

Foreign fighters killed in battle for Philippine city
His "foreign" appearance raised suspicion among residents who reported him to police.

John Guyguyon, chief of police in Lanao del Sur, where Marawi is located, said Syaputra told Sherlocks he is from northern Sumatra in Indonesia, and he came to the Philippines as early as November 2016 to take part in the planned Marawi siege.

Police seized from the suspect a .45 calibre handgun, some Indonesian passports, different currencies and jewellery.

During the interrogation, Syaputra also reportedly claimed to have played a role in the 2016 attacks in Jakarta's central business district, which left seven people dead, including attackers.

Syaputra was reportedly among the dozens of imported muscle from neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as from Arab countries, who came to Marawi to join the fight. The number of fighters, however, remains unclear.

In recent weeks, police also killed the suspected "financier" of the siege, Mahmud Ahmad, a doctor and a Malaysian national.

Guyguyon said the arrest is a "big blow" to the ISIS-linked fighters, even though he warned others could still launch retaliatory attacks.

Posted by:Fred

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