POLICE operatives arrested a former member of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf who is linked to kidnapping and other atrocities in Zamboanga City last Monday.
The suspect, Abu Raba, 52, was nabbed in Barangay Dita by virtue of a warrant issued by a Basilan court in 2009 for kidnapping and serious illegal detention.
Raba was nabbed in a law enforcement operation jointly conducted by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, other police units, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the Philippine Coast Guard.
The CIDG said Raba was involved in the kidnapping of 15 workers of the Golden Harvest coconut plantation in Lantawan, Basilan, in 2001. Two of the victims were later executed by their captors.
Raba was also involved in other atrocities, including the ambuscades of government forces and extortion in Basilan, the CIDG also said.
The CIDG said Raba hid in various areas in Mindanao after the arrest warrant was issued against him 16 years ago.
Torre commended all personnel involved in the arrest of Raba, saying that by arresting the suspect, “we helped the victims attain the justice they all deserved.”
“Let this serve as a warning to all wanted persons and fugitives—your free days are numbered. The CIDG will find you wherever you are,” said Torre.
Torre assured the public that the CIDG is relentless in its efforts in “accounting and catching all criminals and wanted persons across the country- on land or sea, and even beyond borders.”
