KIDAPAWAN CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 29, 2011) – Philippine authorities have captured Thursday the alleged killer of an Italian missionary who was gunned down outside his convent in the troubled southern region of Mindanao, officials said.
Officials said Jimmy Ato, tagged by authorities as the main suspect in the murder of Fr. Fausto Tentorio, was captured in North Cotabato’s Arakan town. His brother Robert who was his accomplice managed to escape following a brief clash with agents of the National Bureau of Investigation.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Ato is facing murder and other criminal charges, including destructive arson.
No other details were made available by authorities, saying there is an ongoing operation to capture Ato’s brother.
Tentorio, a staunch anti-mining and human rights advocate, was shot dead on October 17 and militant and leftist groups blamed the military for the murder, an accusation denied by security officials. He was third Italian missionary murdered in Mindanao the past two decades. (Mindanao Examiner)
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