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Philippines Islamist Radical Arrested

DW Staff (act)January 21, 2008

A team of Philippine police and troops captured a suspected member of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group at the weekend. The group is one of the most feared in the Philippines.

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Sulayman is thought to have ordered the execution of 10 Philippines marines last year
Sulayman is thought to have ordered the execution of 10 Philippines marines last yearImage: AP

29-year-old Aramil Sulayman is accused of having taken part in the beheading of 10 Marines last July. The incident triggered the biggest offensive so far against the terrorist organisation, whose members are in hiding in the southern Philippines.

Police chief Avelino Rezon confirmed the arrest and brought the suspect before the media.

"I'm very pleased to announce the capture of another high-ranking member of the notorious Abu Sayyaf group who is responsible in the beheading of Philippines Marines soldiers in Basilan in July last year," he said.

Caught in disguise

Aramil Sulayman was arrested on Saturday in a Muslim village in Shariff Kabunsuan province on the southern island of Mindanao. He had disguised himself as an auto-rickshaw driver.

He is thought to have ordered the execution of the Philippines Marines last year. When asked by reporters about his role he smiled but was not allowed to reply.

Leonardo Espina, the chief of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response, led the operation against Sulayman. "Abu Sayyaf team leaders are the ones who gave the orders and were themselves participants in the beheadings," he explained.

Combating terrorism

One of the smallest terrorist organisations in the Philippines, Abu Sayyaf is reputed to have links with al-Qaeda and is known for being extremely radical. The organisation is blamed for the country's worst terrorist attack ever -- the bombing of a ferry in 2004, which cost the lives of 100 people.

The Philippine army has deployed 13,000 soldiers to Mindanao. Moreover, there are about 100 US soldiers acting as trainers and advisers to the army. According to Filipino law, however, they are not allowed to participate directly in fighting. The anti-terror offensive is focussing much of its energy on the island of Jolo, where there are a suspected 200 members of different terrorist organisations.

The country's largest terrorist organisation is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, some of whose members have also been linked to the beheading of the Marines last summer. Currently, the group is in the process of drawing up a peace agreement with the government.