ZAMBOANGA CITY — Police and military operatives arrested an alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in an east coast barangay of this city, an official said Tuesday.
Chief Insp. Helen Galvez, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) information officer, identified the arrested ASG member as Nusrin Pawaji alias Nanir Bandahala.
He yielded a hand grenade when he was arrested in an operation at around 5:20 p.m. Sunday in Sitio Niyog-Niyog, Barangay Muti, she added.
Galvez said Pawaji has a standing warrant of arrest for multiple attempted murder issued by a local court on January 29, 2018.
She said Pawaji belongs to the group of Jamiul Nasalon alias Jamih, who is involved in extortion activities victimizing businesses and fishermen. The group is also tagged in the ambush of a passenger bus on February 14, 2017 in Barangay Buenavista, east of this city.
Police said Pawaji was also involved in the killing of eight fishermen on January 9, 2017 near Siromon Island, this city. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
