3 men suspected of having ties with Abu Sayyaf nabbed in Quezon City

On Friday, the eve of the arrival of world leaders for the Association of Southeast Nations (Asean) Summit and Related Meetings, authorities arrested three men believed to have ties with the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group.

Chief Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, Quezon City police head, said on Saturday they were still conducting further investigation to verify the involvement of Abdulgaffar Jikiri (aka Abu Bakar Jikiri), Sadam Jhofar and Alim Sabtalin, to the bandit group, which recently laid siege in Marawi City.

The suspects, all residents of Salaam Compound in Barangay Culiat, were arrested in a joint operation on Friday afternoon by members of the Quezon City Police District, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the Counterterrorism Division of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Eleazar did not give details on the men’s supposed terror ties due to an ongoing investigation.

Authorities recovered from Jikiri’s house two guns, two grenades and six mobile phones, while two guns were found in Jhofar and Sabtalin’s house.

The three have already been charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives. There is a 15-day gun ban for the Asean summit. /atm