THE brother-in-law of the late Isnilon Hapilon who provides for the Abu Sayyaf Group, was captured recently by police intelligence operatives in Jolo, Sulu.
In a news conference in Zamboanga City on Sunday, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Police General Guillermo Eleazar said the police captured Masckur Adoh Patarasa, a.k.a. Makong/Omair Sali Taib.
Eleazar said Ptarasa was arrested in Barangay Asturias, Jolo, Sulu at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, July 30, 2021 during an intelligence-driven police operation launched by the Regional Intelligence Unit-9 of the PNP Intelligence Group, in coordination with Regional Intelligence Division-9; Sulu Provincial Police Office; Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF); Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 9 (CIDG-9) Sulu Provincial Field Unit; PNP-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (PNP-IMEG); Regional Maritime Unit 9; Mindanao Area Police Intelligence Office-Zamboanga Satellite Office (MAPIO-ZSO); Regional Intelligence Division-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (RID BAR); Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB)14; National Intelligence Coordinating Agency in the Zamboanga Peninsula (NICA 9); Team Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Team ISAFP); and Marine Corps Intelligence Battalion-Philippine Marine Corps (MCIBn-PMC).
Patarasa is the subject of Warrants of Arrest issued by Honorable Leo Jay Principe, Presiding Judge, Regional Trial Court, 9th Judicial Region, Branch 1, Isabela City, Basilan as an accused in seven separate cases of Kidnapping and Serious Illegal Detention.
Eleazar said Patarasa is an active Non-Uniformed Personnel (NUP) of the PNP presently assigned at Banguingui Municipal Police Station, Sulu PPO, but was also found out to be Finance/Logistics Liaison officer of Dauwla Islamiya/ASG and was included in the Martial Law Arrest Order No. 1 during the Marawi Siege in 2017.
Police records showed that in May 2017, Patarasa, together with an unidentified individual linked with the ASG, planned to transact the sending of funds to ASG members fighting in Marawi City thru his brother-in-law Isnilon Hapilon.
Eleazar said Patarasa joined the ASG in 2001 under Khadaffy Janjalani in Basilan and later shifted to ASG Senior Leader Radullan Sahiron in Sulu. Moreover, Patarasa was also known to have direct contact with Jemaah Islamiyah operative Amin Baco a.k.a. Guro Jihad and other ASG personalities.
It was also disclosed that Patarasa received funds from Almaida Salvin, a designated terrorist included in the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions list who was arrested sometime in April 2019 for illegal possession of explosives through Merhama Sawari who was neutralized in a Parañaque City shootout together with three suspected terrorists on June 20, 2020.
“I am glad that our personnel were able to arrest the subject person, this still forms part of the Intensified Cleanliness Policy that we are implementing, Cleanliness of the ranks should be maintained to regain the trust and confidence of the people to our organization,” the Chief PNP said.
He also commended their units in Region 9 and other units in the arrest of Patarasa, pointing to their efforts as a reflection of their campaign to keep the organization free from persons with ill motives.