ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police have recovered explosives from an Abu Sayyaf hideout following a raid before dawn Thursday in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines, officials said.
Officials said two women and man were also arrested, but police forces failed to capture a member of the Abu Sayyaf – Abu Walid – who managed to escape the assault in the village called Muti. A cracked team of policemen were sent to track down Walid.
Superintendent Felixberto Martinez, head of the Special Investigation Unit of the local police force, said those detained – Walid’s wife Satriyana and her parents Basir and Sara Tibulong – were being investigated in connection with the explosives seized from the house.
The trio denied involvement in any illegal activities, but police said Walid was plotting to detonate the explosives during the opening of classes in June.
Police also appealed to residents to report suspicious persons or abandoned baggage in their locality and to stay vigilant due to threats of terrorism.
The Abu Sayyaf had previously bombed civilian targets in Zamboanga City that left scores of people dead and wounded. Authorities have linked the rebel group to al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiya and even ISIS and have been tagged as behind the spate of kidnappings in the restive region. (E. Duma)
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