Police and Military Operatives Arrested Abu Sayyaf Group Bandit

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Combined police and military operatives on Monday arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandit facing a series of criminal cases in the city.

Chief Insp. Elmer Solon, a Police Station 4 chief, identified the arrested suspect as Abdul Baliyung alias Majula Gani, 34, a resident of Barangay Sangali, Zamboanga City.

Baliyung arrested Monday in the vicinity of the Zamboanga International Airport by police and military intelligence personnel.

The arrest came as government authorities heightened security measures to prevent a spillover of violence as troops are continuously pursuing the ASG in the nearby provinces of Basilan and Sulu.

The suspect would also be placed under investigation to determine why he was at the airport.

Abdul Baliyung alias Majula Gani has a standing warrant of arrest for seven counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention issued by a court in Isabela City, Basilan, dated January 2008.