‘Witnesses won’t cooperate in Marawi jailbreak probe’

MARAWI CITY, Philippines – Witnesses to Saturday’s jailbreak at the Lanao del Sur provincial jail in this city by Islamic militants are reluctant to cooperate in the investigation of the incident.

Local officials yesterday told The STAR the militants belong to the Maute terror group, which is feared for its brutality on people suspected of spying on their activities.

The group, led by relatives Omar and Abdullah Maute, boasts of its allegiance to the Islamic State and carries the black IS flag when moving from one place to another within the province.

The eight inmates were arrested and detained more than a week ago for possession of improvised explosive devices.

Four were identified as Mohammad Mulok, Jamil Amirul, Abdul Jabbar Macabading and Hassim Balauag, all ethnic Maranaws.

“No one is willing to help build an airtight case against the gunmen,” a member of the provincial peace and order council said.

The provincial police said the prospective witnesses are afraid of the repercussions of testifying against the group.

The suspects, armed with assault rifles, also released 24 other inmates facing drug charges and other heinous offenses.

They stormed the jail at dusk Saturday, disarmed the guards, freed the detainees and took their eight comrades – three of them women – to a village near Lake Lanao where a speedboat was waiting.

Full alert

Police and the military in Lanao del Sur have been placed on full alert in an effort to recapture the 20 inmates who escaped from the provincial jail in Marawi City over the weekend.

Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos, spokesman for the Philippine National Police (PNP), said an investigation is ongoing on the incident.

Carlos said the PNP and the military are working to recapture the fugitives and arrest the armed men who raided the provincial jail on Saturday. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe