MANILA, Philippines — An Abu Sayyaf member tagged in the recent ambush of a Sulu vice mayor was arrested on Monday in Patikul, Sulu.
Junni Jumala, a known member of the bandit group, was apprehended after residents sighted him roaming the vicinity of Barangay Umangay in Patikul on Monday afternoon.
Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, commander of Joint Task Group Sulu, said the bandit’s arrest was part of the intensified security operations to preempt the outlaws from retaliating.
Jumala was a suspect in the recent ambush on Patikul vice mayor Jun Tarsum last December, who fortunately emerged unscathed from the attempt on his life.
His vehicle bore several bullet holes from the attack.
Arrojado said the Abu Sayyaf member was also tagged in several kidnappings carried out by the bandit group in Mindanao, and in several ambushes in Jolo and Patikul.
The suspect was spotted in Barangay Umangay on Monday afternoon by concerned residents who reported his presence to the police and military.
At around 1:30 p.m. Monday, joint police and military operatives from the 35th Infantry Battalion and the Patikul police station conducted law enforcement operations in the area to catch him.
Authorities recovered a cal. 38 revolver loaded with 18 bullets from the suspect. Arrojado said the suspect has been placed in the custody of the Patikul police station. SFM