Alleged Maute recruiter charged in Taguig court

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Justice has filed inciting to rebellion charges against Karen Hamidon, the alleged recruiter of fighters to join the terrorists in Mindanao.

In a 16-page resolution, the DOJ charged Hamidon with 295 counts of violation of Article 138 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

The NBI arrested Hamidon in her residence at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig in October.

The 36-year-old call center agent denied she intended to recruit fighters to join the Maute terror group, which has claimed allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

READ: Alleged Maute recruiter seeks time, lawyer to face rebellion case

She claimed she was "cajoled and seduced" by a certain J A to post the messages in a chatroom inviting people to join the fighting in Mindanao.

But the DOJ dismissed Hamidon's defense as it "deserves scant consideration since the contents of the afore-quoted messages and the multiple times there were posted defy her theory of instigation."

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II presented Hamidon before the members of the media in October. According to the justice chief, Hamidon's message reads:

The soldiers of Taghut are desperate to defeat the Muhajireen of the Islamic State of Marawi City...but Wallahi they won't be successful They won't be able to defeat the force of Dawlah because Allah (Azza wa Jaal is on their side). That is why the Dawlah is once again inviting all our ikhwaanil Muslimeen in all parts of the Philippines and around the world to support our Muhajireen of East Asia. Let us go to Marawi, in Mindanao to join the way against the Conquerors of the soldiers of Tawagheet.

The DOJ also said: “As to her arguments that she was not committing any crime at the time she was arrested and at the time her mobile phone was seized, and all the aforequoted social media posts do not bear her name, these arguments are evidentiary in character which are best ventilated in a full-blown trial."

“The presumption prevails that complainants regularly performed their official duties and ordinary course of business has been followed,” the resolution further reads.

The DOJ however dismissed the rebellion raps filed by the NBI. It said that the complaint is "devoid of merit, misplaced and totally erroneous."

NBI agent Joshua Raymundo earlier said that India has asked the Philippines' aid in investigating Hamidon for allegedly encouraging several Indian nationals to join Islamic State group in 2016.

The charges were before the Taguig Regional Trial Court, the designated courts to hear and try cases related to the Maute.