Top female IS recruiter arrested

In custody: Aguirre (right seated) presenting Hamidon (in a burqa) during a news conference at the National Bureau of Investigation in Manila. Authorities say she recruited foreign fighters to the country and spread extremist propaganda. — AP

MANILA: Philippine security forces have arrested a 36-year-old Filipino woman suspected of recruiting, via social media, fighters from around the world for the ultra-radical Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.

Karen Aizha Hamidon was arrested by special agents in Taguig city, an hour east of the capital Manila, on Oct 11, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre announced at a news conference yesterday.