KOTA KINABALU: Sabah police will seek the help of their Philippine counterparts to confirm a Daily Express report that Malaysians were among foreign terrorist fighters spotted with a wanted Abu Sayyaf sub-leader and believed involved in the neighbouring nation’s first suicide bombing in Basilan which took 10 lives.
“We will get assistance from the Philippine authorities to confirm the matter and we’ll update later,” said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah (pic).
A Philippine terrorism expert, Prof. Rommel Banlaoi said seven foreign terrorists, including Malaysians, were spotted recently with an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader who is wanted by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) in a Sulu village.
Prof. Rommel, who is Chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, said the foreign fighters were waiting for financial support to make improvised bombs.
“The Abu Sayyaf faction headed by sub-leader Hatib Hajan @ Sawadjaan with seven suspected foreign terrorists, including Malaysians, were monitored in Barangay [village] Kabbon Takkas, Patikul, Sulu,” Rommel said.
“The said foreign militants were reportedly awaiting funding support from abroad for the purchase of explosive components for the manufacture of IEDs [improvised explosive devices],” said Rommel, citing information from an intelligence officer in the Philippine Government.
Hatib is one of 18 Filipinos wanted by Esscom for various transborder crimes such as piracy and kidnapping.
Rommel did not say where the other foreign militants were from but Indonesians made up the bulk of foreign militants during the 2017 Marawi war. Scores of Indonesians are reportedly still in southern Philippines.
The Philippine army’s Western Mindanao Command spokesperson, Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, said the army also received information on the spotting of the Malaysians and Hatib.
“We are in the process of having that information validated by other sources,” Besana was quoted as saying in the Jan 22 report by Daily Express, which had also contacted federal police’s counter-terrorism division for comment.
It cannot be immediately established whether the Malaysian militants were the six who had been reported by a US news website in December 2018 as having assisted in the Philippines’ first suicide bombing in Basilan which took 10 lives.
The bombing was carried out on July 31 at a security checkpoint in Lamitan town and was claimed by the Islamic State terror group.
ISIS identified the perpetrator as a Moroccan named Abu Kathir Al-Maghribi and published his image on its propaganda outlet Amaq.
According to that December 2018 report, citing tips also from Rommel confirmed by Besana, the Abu Sayyaf masterminded the Basilan suicide bombing with help from the Moroccan and Malaysian foreign terrorist fighters.
“A government intelligence report indicated that as early as July 19, 2018, Abu Fati [nom de guerre of Abu Sayyaf sub-commander Mike Lijal] and four others were planning to conduct a bombing operation in Lamitan.
“On June 30, 2018, six Malaysian nationals arrived in Tuburan, Basilan to assist in the terror plot in Lamitan,” Banlaoi said in that report.
Two days after the attack, the Philippine army arrested a Filipino ustaz or Islamic religious teacher in connection with the Lamitan bombing.
“Government operatives arrested the 58-year old ustaz because of tips from informants that he had full knowledge of the bombing,” said Banlaoi further in that report.
“The ustaz facilitated the entry of the aforementioned Malaysian foreign fighters who came to Basilan from Sabah. They arrived after the Marawi war.” -Zam Yusa
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