2 kidnap, gunrunning suspects killed in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—Two kidnapping and gun-running suspects were killed, while six others, including a police officer, were arrested in a raid that ended in a shootout here early Monday.

Senior Superintendent Angelito Casimiro, the acting city police chief, said policemen were serving a search warrant on an apartment in Salam Drive in Barangay (village) Santa Maria when the shootout happened at around 2 a.m.

Casimiro said an operating team member, PO2 Carlos Bocaig of the Special Action Force (SAF), was wounded during the shootout.

Police recovered four .45 caliber pistols, ammunition and three fragmentation grenades.

The arrested suspects were identified as PO1 Saudi Apion of the Santa Barbara village but assigned with the Lamitan Police Station in Basilan; Alahraf Apion of Santa Barbara this city; Mamarin Pillay, barangay chair of Lakiki village in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte; Allan Abdulla, Jackarin Jamani and Nasser Allama, all natives of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte.

Chief Insp. Ariel Huesca, head of the Zamboanga Peninsula Regional Public Safety Battalion, said operating troops were serving search warrants in two apartment units when the “occupants resisted and fired shots, hitting two of our personnel.”

Huesca said police were still trying to determine the suspects’ participation in the series of kidnapping and shooting incidents in this city.

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