Military and police arrested Sunday an alleged Abu Sayyaf Group member facing multiple murder charges during a manhunt operation in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group said Monday.
Acting CIDG director Chief Superintendent Roel Obusan identified suspect as Hadji Biki Adbdala alias Hadji Hassan.
Obusan said combined elements of the CIDG Region 9 based in Zamboanga and the Intelligence personnel of Armed Forces of the Philippines were able to trace and pinpoint the location of the suspect and cornered him after a brief pursuit at around 2:20 p.m.
According to CIDG regional chief Senior Supt. John Guyguyon, Adbdala has been elusive in several entrapment operations against him. “But this time, we were able to corner and arrest him.”
The ASG, which operates in Basilan and Sulu, is involved in high-profile kidnappings of local and foreign targets. The group usually beheads its victim once ransom money is not delivered to them.
Just recently, the bandits beheaded two Canadians—John Ridsdel and Robert Hall—after their families failed to deliver P300-million ransom for each for their safe release.
Still in danger of possible beheading is Kjartan Sekkingstad, a Norwegian. The bandits already released Marites Flor, Filipina fiancé of Hall.
The four were abducted by armed men in September 2015 at a resort in the Island Garden City of Samal and were brought to Sulu.