April 8, 2003, PHNO, 100 Kilos Explosives Found; 2 MILF Men Arrested,

April 8, 2003, PHNO, 100 Kilos Explosives Found; 2 MILF Men Arrested,

Zamboanga City, April 8, 2003 -- Two Muslim men arrested by policemen for illegal possession of bomb chemicals in the southern Philippine port city of General Santos were members of the separatist rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), linked by Western intelligence to the al Qaeda network and the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiya, a military said Tuesday. 

The duo Altaps Samadalan and Mustapha Panagas were arrested early Monday in Fatima village and police said they seized more than 100 kilos of ammonium nitrate used in manufacturing homebombs. 

Police arrested the two after receiving intelligence reports that MILF rebels would smuggle explosives into the predominantly Christian city from Pikit town in North Cotabato province to bomb civilian and government targets in the southern Philippines, the military said. 

The military said the two arrested rebels are members of the MILF's Special Operations Group (SOG), a unit that specialized in terrorism. The men said they would use the chemicals for blast fishing, but the police said it also seized from the rebels 20 litres of gasoline and about a kilo of yellow chemical powder, believed to be explosives. 

Police and military are currently interrogating the rebels in General Santos City to find out if they have links with the group that bombed a busy seaport Apr. 2 in Davao City that killed 17 people and injured about 50. Authorities have tagged the MILF and the al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya as behind the attack and that police are now hunting down five Indonesian nationals said to be behind the port attack. 

The military said the MILF have previously targeted General Santos City. 

Last month, a homemade bomb explosion ripped through an international airport in Davao City and killed and wounded scores of people inside the passenger terminal and Philippine authorities have tagged the MILF as behind the attack, although the Abu Sayyaf rebels claimed responsibility for the blast. 

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte have tagged the MILF, the Jemaah Islamiya and the al Qaeda network as behind the seaport attack. He said the MILF's SUTAG or the Special Urban Terrorist Action Group is responsible in the blast. He said some of its members are from the Abu Sayyaf group. 

Duterte said the SUTAG is the local counterpart of the al Qaeda which also has links with the JI, but he did not provide evidence of his allegations other than police intelligence reports. He also said the he expects more attacks in Davao City. He said some JI members are "embedded" with the MILF. 

A television report on Monday night said an Arab man was arrested by the police in Toril district in Davao City, but there were no other details and police officials would not say anything. 

Six Australian policemen have also arrived in Davao City over the weekend and are helping authorities investigate the bombing in Sasa wharf. Police have released sketches of two suspects, but there have been no arrests so far. 

National police chief Roberto Delfin said the 5 Indonesians are alleged members of the Jemaah Islamiyah, said to be the Asian front for Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network. 

The Indonesians were said to have carried out the bombings with SUTAG. 

"Five Indonesians are being eyed as suspects in the Sasa wharf bombing. All are suspected JI members with links to MILF special operation group...a manhunt has been launched against them," Delfin said. 

President Arroyo has declared a state of "lawless violence" in Davao City because of the spate of bomb attacks there. The MILF has denied involvement in the attacks. (Al Jacinto PHNO Mindanao Bureau)