A BOMBER from the terrorist group Daulah Islamiyah was killed in shootout with police intelligence operatives in Cotabato City early morning yesterday, according to PNP chief Debold Sinas.
The slain suspect, Abraham Abad Abdulrahman, alias Suffian, has been tagged as the mastermind behind the December 31, 2018 bombing of a mall in the city.
The operation was led by the PNP Intelligence Group and supported by elements from PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, PNP Special Action Force and Cotabato City police station.
Sinas said the policemen were sent to the residence of Jasmiyah Camsa, who is believed to be the wife of Abdulrahman, in Barangay Bagua 2 in Cotabato City at around 1:30 a.m. to serve a search warrant issued by a Sultan Kudarat court.
Abdulrahman resisted and engaged the policemen in a firefight, leading to his death.
Abdulrahman was armed with a cal. 45 pistol and a hand grenade, police said.
Police also recovered at the scene a 60mm high-explosive mortar projectile, bomb components, and a motorcycle.
Camsa, meanwhile, managed to escape.
Six children were “rescued” from the area while a woman found in the house was taken into police custody.
Police said Abdulrahman attended a bomb-making training in 2015 in Sultan Kudarat allegedly supervised by Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, alias Tokboy Maguid
Maguid, a leader of the Ansar al-Khilafah Philippines, was slain during a firefight with government troops in Sarangani in January 2017.
Abdulrahman later masterminded the bombing of the South Seas Mall in Cotabato City on December 31, 2018 that left two people dead and 30 others injured.
“He escaped the military-police operation in Marawi City along with some widows of fallen jihadists and sought refuge in Maguindanao,” a PNP statement said, referring to the Marawi City siege in May 2017 led by the Maute Group.
Police said Abdulrahman was last reported to be operating with Salahuddin Hassan and bomb expert Abu Naim, both belonging to the group of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters leader Abu Turaife.
