AN ALLEGED sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group was arrested by police and military forces in Quezon City, police said on Friday.

Authorities identified the suspect as Ibrahim Lambog Mullo who initially identified himself as Agimar Abi Ahaja.

Mr. Mullo was arrested after the police were tipped off by a concerned citizen who saw the suspect in barangay Batasan Hills at 7 p.m. on Sept. 27.

Quezon City Police District Director Police Colonel Ronnie S. Montejo said that although there is no direct evidence linking Mr. Mullo to any terror activities in the city, an investigation is being conducted to identify individuals who have been aiding or harboring him.

“Ang pagkahuli sa kanya ay malaking tulong hindi lamang dahil napigilan natin ang ano mang balak na pagsasagawa ng mga terror attacks kundi sa pagkuha ng iba pang mahahalagang impormasyon laban sa grupo ng ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group),” Mr. Montejo said.

The police said that Mullo arrived in Metro Manila some time in January this year along with certain Arnel Glores Cabintoy and Feliciano Mañas Sulayao.

Cabintoy and Sulayao were arrested on June 15 in barangay Culiat under an “order for apprehension of personalities involved in the rebellion in Mindanao” issued by the Secretary of National Defense.

Mr. Mullo claimed that he had moved to Quezon City to attend to his wife who recently gave birth and said that he works in a construction firm in San Miguel, Bulacan owned by his wife’s uncle, which is located in a housing project for the Army Scout Rangers in Calumpang, Bulacan.

Mr. Mullo said that he and his wife decided to go to Manila in 2018 to look for work and live a normal life. He added that he was able to leave the ASG in Sulu after asking permission to have a short vacation in Zamboanga City. Authorities said that Mullo was recruited into the ASG sub-group, Ajang-Ajang Group, through social media by ASG sub-leader alias Pading in 2017 while he was still in Zamboanga City.

Violations of Republic Act (RA) 10591 or “The Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition” and RA 9516 or the “Unlawful and Illegal Possession of Explosive” were filed before the City prosecutor’s office for inquest proceedings. — Marc Wyxzel C. Dela Paz

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