Bukit Aman to get info on arrested militant

KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman will reach out to their Philippines’ counterpart in connection with the arrest of Malaysian terrorist Mohamas Amin, says Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

Khalid said police needed to get more information on the arrests before taking any further action.

“Surely, we will get confirmation from the authorities in the Philip­pines,” he said when asked to comment on Mohamas Amin’s arrest by the Philippine National Police (PNP), which thwarted planned bombing attacks in Manila.

Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that the suspect, who had a 600,000 peso (RM133,000) bounty on his head, was present at a press briefing by PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) acting director Chief Supt Roel Obusan on Monday.

Mohamas Amin was arrested at 4am on Saturday by joint operatives from the Anti-Transnational Crimes Unit (ATCU) of the CIDG and the PNP Intelligence Group during a raid in Quezon City.

Also arrested were Bilal Taalam, the owner of the house where Amin was staying, and Adnan Malangkis. Eight other tenants in the house are also being investigated.

The CIDG believes all three have links to the Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu. A fragmentation grenade, se­ve­ral rounds of ammunition, va­­rious identification cards, a blueprint of a condo mall in Quezon City and a cellular phone were recovered.

The daily also quoted Chief Supt Obusan as saying that the results of the police interrogation on the suspects further strengthened their belief about Mohamas Amin’s plot to stage bombing attacks in Manila.

“Our operatives confiscated a blueprint of a building, a condo mall (in Quezon City), indicating they were studying the area,” Chief Supt Obusan said, refusing to name the mall to avoid panic.

Mohamas Amin, who also goes by the names Asman, Akman Amin and Amin Aklam, is a bomb expert and is a subject of an arrest warrant for a murder case filed at the Regional Trial Court in Jolo, Sulu.

Other Abu Sayyaf members are also facing the same charges in the same court.

Amin and Malangkis were subjected to inquest proceedings for violations of the Compre­hensive Firearms and Ammunition Regula­tion Act and Illegal Possession of Explosives Act before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court.

Mohamas Amin will also be charged with violation of Article 78 of the Revised Penal Code for concealing his true identity while Taalam was charged with obstruction of justice and harbouring a fugitive or wanted person.