Drug suspect yields SAF 44 assault rifle

The SAF 44 rifle found in the possession of Nasser Karim, a suspected drug lord who was arrested during an operation by soldiers and policemen in Pikit town, North Cotabato province. —PHOTO FROM PNP CENTRAL MINDANAO

KORONADAL CITY—A scrutiny of a rifle found on a drug suspect arrested during a recent police operation revealed that the weapon belonged to one

of the 44 elite policemen slain in a mission to get international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, in the town of Mamasapano, Maguindanao province.

“This means some of the firearms of SAF 44 are still in the hands of private individuals,” said Supt. Romeo Galgo, information chief of the Central Mindanao police, referring to 44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) who were killed in a mission to get Marwan.

The rifle that turned out to belong to one of the SAF 44 had been seized from Nasser Karim, who was arrested in an antidrug operation on Oct. 11 in Pikit town, North Cotabato province.

Nasser is son of Senior Insp. Sindatu Karim, deputy police chief of Pikit.

Fake serial number

The firearm, according to Galgo, is a 7.62mm Ferfrans Special Operations Assault Rifle with a defaced serial number replaced with a fake serial number “FF 090465.”

A check of an inventory of firearms and accessories of the SAF 44 revealed that the rifle had been issued to PO2 Ephraim Mejia, one of the SAF members slain in Mamasapano.

The SAF operation last year led to the killing of Marwan, an Indonesian and one of the world’s most wanted terrorist, who had been hiding in Mamasapano. Marwan carried a bounty of $5 million put up by the US government.

The deaths of 44 SAF members during the operation, however, also led to one of former President Benigno Aquino III’s biggest controversies after he was blamed for the deaths of the SAF members for coordinating the mission with his then suspended police chief, Alan Purisima, and violating the chain of command.

Death threats

Nasser Karim, who had been tagged as a drug suspect and found to be in possession of the SAF rifle, was arrested in an operation by the Regional Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Group (Raidsoft) in Pikit which also yielded a cache of high-powered firearms and ammunition.

Senior Inspector Karim, the deputy police chief of Pikit, said his son had guns because Nasser has been getting death threats.

“He just wanted to protect himself,” said Sindatu of his son. He has since been relieved of his post as deputy Pikit police chief and transferred to the police regional office in General Santos City.

Sindatu, however, could not say how his son obtained the rifle, which is only issued to SAF members, or if he knew that the weapon belonged to one of the SAF 44. —EDWIN FERNANDEZ