ZAMBOANGA CITY–A team of police and military operatives have arrested an Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) member involved in the kidnapping of 21 people, including Europeans, 17 years ago in a Malaysian resort, a police official said Wednesday.
Chief Supt. Billy Beltran, Police Regional Office-9 (PRO-9) director, identified the arrested ASG member as Dani Suraidi, who carries the aliases of Dad and Amdak Jumah.
Suraidi was arrested around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday in Barangay Sta. Barbara, this city, Supt. Beltran said.
Beltran said Suraidi has a standing warrant of arrest for kidnapping and serious illegal detention with ransom.
Suraidi belongs to the group of slain ASG senior leader Albader Parad and was involved in April 23, 2000 kidnapping of 23 people in Sipadan island diving resort, Palau, Sabah, Malaysia, the police official said.
The ASG herded the hostages that included 10 Europeans, nine Malaysians and two Filipinos, to the forest of Sulu, where they were released in batches months later following payments of ransom.
Beltran said Suraidi also served as the trusted man of slain ASG leader Alhabsy Misaya.
Parad was killed in a clash with government forces on February 21, 2010 in Maimbung, Sulu, while Misaya was killed on April 28, 2017 in Parang town in the same province.
Beltran said Suraidi was taken to the Regional Intelligence Unit-9 office for debriefing and eventual turnover to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for temporary custody and for proper disposition. (Teofilo Garcia, Jr/PNA)
