3 members of ISIS-linked armed group nabbed in South Cotabato

Mugshot of Akmad Bulacon after he was arrested in a joint police and military operation in Tupi, North Cotabato on October 1, 2018.

KORONADAL CITY — Joint police and military forces arrested three members of an ISIS-linked terrorist group during a law enforcement operations in Tupi, South Cotabato early on Monday.

Chief Supt. Eliseo Tam Rasco, police director for SOCCSKSARGEN region, said the operating units also recovered two black ISIS flags, ammonium nitrate, blasting caps and other improvised bomb components, bullets for M-16 rifles, a fragmentation grenade, three rifle grenades, and two motorbikes used by the suspects in the murder of a police officer last month.

Police recover ISIS flags and bomb components from three terrorist suspects nabbed in Tupi, South Cotabato on October 1, 2018.

Rasco said the 2 a.m. operation led to the arrest of Akmad Bulacon, and his sons Muktar and Zandro, all residents of Purok 1, Barangay Palian, Tupi, South Cotabato.

Two other sons of Akmad Bulacon, identified as Mohammad and Arafat, who have standing arrest warrants for murder, evaded arrest by fleeing to the mountains of Barangay Lunen, also in Tupi, under cover of darkness.

Rasco told the INQUIRER the “the two sons of Akmad Bulacon also tried to escape with a back pack but were cornered by our law enforcers.”

“Although they have hand grenades, [they] did not resist arrest,” he added.

Rasco said the recovery of black ISIS flags, blasting caps, and other war materials indicate they belonged to ISIS-linked Ansar al-Khilafa Philippines (AKP), a terrorist cell based in Sarangani and South Cotabato.

He added that the arrested suspects were linked to the murder of PO1 Achiles Tablazon of Police Regional Office 12, last Sept 15 in Barangay Palian.

Talazon was on his way to work in General Santos City, but returned home to fetch his mobile phone.  As soon as he stepped out of his vehicle he was gunned down.

Rasco said the police is still trying to determine if the arrested suspects were involved in the Sept. 16 bombing in Gen. Santos City that injured eight persons.

Supt. Aldrin Gonzales, PRO-12 spokesperson, said the three suspects are now detained at the Tupi Municipal Police Station.

The arrest of the AKP members came after another member was killed during police anti-drug operations in Polomolok, South Cotabato on Sunday.

Samrud Embang, a suspect in the General Santos City bombing, resisted arrest by firing at approaching lawmen. /ee

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