National Police has deported a Philippine terrorist figure, Abdul Basir Latip, after detaining him for some time for alleged immigration document forgery, an official says.
National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri said on Sunday that Latip was arrested for possession of a fake passport last month.
Bambang said Latip was sent back to his home country after the police found no evidence of his role in a series of terror attacks in the country.
“Right now we found nothing that could relate him or his organization’s activities with the recent acts of terror in our country. But in case we find something new in the future, we will ask for access to him through our diplomats there,” Bambang said.
A field officer who used to join the counter terrorism task force said that Latip had been intensely questioned about his possible involvement in a series of potential terror acts throughout the country.
“Of course we don’t want to waste this momentum so easily. We need to confirm every detail as we have long suspected that there are strong connections between these interstate organizations,” the field operative, who requested anonymity, told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.
Another police source had once said that hard-line Islamic organizations forged close cooperation with the Jamaah Islamiah terror group responsible for a string of bombings in the country since 2000.
“They shared almost everything that could be shared, starting from intelligence info, firearms to personnel trainings,” he said.
Earlier, spokesperson for the Philippine Investigation National Bureau, Ricardo Diaz, said Latip , who was widely known as one of the figures at the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, was caught on Nov. 21 when he stopped over at Soekarno Hatta Airport, Jakarta.
In Feb. 2007 Latip was found guilty by the US court of having kidnapped US missionary, Charles M. Walton, in 1993 in Sulu Province in the South Philippines. He has been facing a lifetime sentence.
Latip denied his involvement in the abduction. However, he admitted that he had a fake passport.
Diaz said that the Philippines court would decide on whether Latip would be extradited to the US regarding Walton's abduction.(nia)
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|