ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / July 28, 2012) – Police arrested a suspected Moro rebel, tagged as one of those who kidnapped a local trader, in an operation in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines.
Police said Usman Caril was captured in the village of Tetuan after a long surveillance and intelligence operation. Caril, a native of Zamboanga del Norte province, is believed to be a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Police did not say if any weapon had been seized from Caril.
Authorities are investigating whether Caril has links with the Abu Sayyaf, blamed for the spate of kidnappings for ransom and terrorism in the southern Philippines. It was not immediately known whether Caril’s group was planning another kidnapping in Zamboanga City.
Police implicated Caril in the 2011 kidnapping of Olivia Barredo in Labuan village. The trader was freed in the town of Roseller Lim in Zamboanga Sibugay province after her family paid a huge ransom to the kidnappers. (Mindanao Examiner)
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