Kota Kinabalu: Thirteen years after his escape from a Sulu prison, an Abu Sayyaf Group member allegedly involved in the infamous Sipadan kidnapping in 2000 was rearrested in the southern Philippine island province Wednesday.
Area Police Command-Western Mindanao operations chief Col. Richard Verceles, in a statement, said Mahari Aradji, 67, was arrested through a warrant at about 4am in Sitio Tugamot, Katian village, Indanan district.
Major William Maisog, the Sulu Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief, reportedly said the Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi CIDG, the police Special Action Force and their intelligence operatives arrested Aradji during “Oplan Pagtugis” and “Salikop” operations.
Aradji has a string of criminal cases, including one in which he and 11 other inmates ran away from the Sulu jail in January 2009.
Verceles said Aradji has four standing unbailable warrants of arrest for double murder, murder with arson, murder, and illegal possession of firearms issued by the court of Parang, Sulu.
He said Aradji was placed under the custody of the CIDG for proper disposition.
Aradji was a follower of the late Sulu-based ASG leader Ghalib Andang @ Commander Robot and was involved in the kidnappings of foreigners and Filipinos and other terrorist activities.
Andang's group gained international notoriety when they kidnapped 21 people—mostly Europeans—on April 23, 2000 from the renowned dive resort island of Sipadan before taking the hostages to the hinterlands of Sulu.
Andang was captured on Dec. 8, 2003 and imprisoned but he was shot dead together with other ASG leaders in a prison riot on Mar. 8, 2005 at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City.
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