Sabah police chief: Penampang robbers were Sulu militants

KOTA KINABALU: Police have confirmed that the two Philippine nationals gunned down in Penampang Baru new township last Thursday were members of the militant Royal Sulu Force.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman, who stopped short or identifying the men, said that one of the two suspects was a leader of the RSF group here.

“Both are illegal immigrants,” Jalaluddin told reporters here after attending the state police monthly gathering at the Kepayan State Police Headquarters.

“We believe that they were committing robberies to raise funds for their activities,” he said, adding that they believe that there were certain links between the RSF activities and the kidnap for ransom groups in the southern Philippines.

Jalaluddin said the two suspects, one of whom possessed a fake Malaysian identity card and the other a Philippines international passport, were operating from the Lahad Datu and Semporna areas.

He said police expect to make more arrests against those involved in the RSF group in due course.

“We believe they are concentrated in Sabah’s east coast,” he said.

Following the Oct 9 shooting, Jalaluddin said that the duo – aged 42 and 50 – were responsible for at least three robberies in October, having got away with over RM1mil.