COTABATO CITY — A popular Islamic cleric heavily involved in peace initiatives in Mindanao was gunned down in one of the busiest streets in the city on Monday.
Police Major John Vincent F. Bravo, commander of the city’s Police Precinct 2, said a lone gunman shot 32-year-old Mohammad Hessam Midtimbang six times using a .45-caliber pistol while he was about to drive his black Nissan Almera, which was parked on Governor Gutierrez Avenue, here.
Midtimbang works in the Bangsamoro Darul Iftah, also known as the House of Opinions, which promotes cultural and religious solidarity among Muslims, Christians and indigenous non-Moro communities throughout Mindanao.
He belonged to a large ethnic Maguindanaon noble clan and hosted a peace-advocacy program aired over a local radio station.
Brig. Gen. Allan Nobleza, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro, said Tuesday their intelligence units are helping investigators identify the killer. — John Felix M. Unson
