JI-trained bomber nabbed in RP

JI-trained bomber nabbed in RP

PHILIPPINES: A militant believed to have been trained by the
Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) and suspected of being involved in deadly
bombings in the southern Philippines has been arrested in Manila,
police said on Thursday.

The suspect, who is aged in his early 30s and identified only
as Mentang, was captured by intelligence agents in Paco district
on Wednesday in possession of an unlicensed handgun.

Officials said initial investigations revealed he may be a
member of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
which has been negotiating peace with Manila.

"Apparently, he is a member of the breakaway faction of the
MILF and he claimed to have been trained by JI elements in
central Mindanao," a police intelligence official said.

"He has revealed their group's plan to conduct bombing
operations in the southern Philippines," the official said
without elaborating.

Mentang is suspected of being involved in the bombings of an
airport and a wharf in the southern city of Davao last year which
killed 38 people and left more than 100 dead. --AFP