ASG member with P600-K bounty arrested in Basilan

An Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) member involved in the infamous Lamitan siege in 2000 and with a PHP600,000 bounty for his capture was arrested by authorities in Basilan province, the police said Tuesday. Brigadier General Bowenn Joey Masauding, Police Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula (PRO-9) director, identified the arrested ASG member as Mobin Kullin, who has been hiding for over a decade. Masauding said Kullin was arrested in an operation on Monday in Barangay Tabiawan, Isabela City, the capital of Basilan province. 'The PRO-9, together with our partner agencies, are focused on arresting individuals facing cases, especially those involved in terrorism and kidnapping,' Masauding said in a statement. He said Kullin had a standing warrant of arrest for the crime of kidnapping and illegal detention with no recommended bail issued by a court in Isabela City on May 6, 2002. Kullin is also listed as one of the nation's most wanted persons under the Department of National Defense-Department of the Interior and Local Government joint order with a reward of PHP600,000 for his capture. Masuding said Kullin was also involved in multiple kidnappings, including the Golden Harvest Plantation raid in Barangay Tairan, Lantawan, on June 11, 2001, aside from the Lamitan siege in 2000. During the raid, the ASG bandits seized 15 plantation workers and executed five of them. The rest either managed to escape or were rescued during military operations. Further, police records indicated that the arrested suspect was a former member of the Abu Sayyaf Group under sub-leaders Ustadz Kalah, Khadaffy Janjalani, and Isnilon Hapilon, all of whom were once operating in Lantawan, Basilan. Kullin is currently in the custody of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Grouo-9 for documentation and proper disposition. Source: Philippines News Agency