Police arrest Ampatuan massacre fugitive
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 4:38 p.m.) — Police on Monday arrested one of the suspects in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre has been arrested by the police in Ampatuan town.
Brig. Gen. Marni Marcos, director of the police regional office in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, said cops arrested Faisal Dimaukom, alis Kagi Faizal, at about 5:05 on Monday morning.
Dimaukom was arrested in Brgy. Kabinge in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao.
Police also seized one F1 fragmentation hand grenade in the suspect’s possession.
Dimaukom was turned over to Parang Municipal Police station for documentation and will be turned over to Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-Police Regional Office.
Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes, on Dec. 19, 2019, convicted 28 people, including Datu Andal Unsay Ampatuan, Datu Anware Sajid Ulo Ampatuan, Datu Anwar Ampatuan Sr. and Datu Anwar Ipi Ampatuan Jr., of murder over the gruesome massacre.
Fifteen, including 14 police officers, meanwhile were found guilty as accessories to the crime.
Before the promulgation, records from the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 showed that there remain 80 out of the 179 suspects at large.
Lawyer Nena Santos, counsel of some of the massacre victims' relatives, said Dimaukom was not among those convicted in December.
"Until his arrest, he was one of those 80 suspects who are still at large and are wanted for their involvement in the massacre," Santos said.
The Ampatuans started appealing the guilty verdict handed down by the Judge Reyes before the Quezon City court and the Court of Appeals. — Kristine Joy Patag with a report from The STAR/John Unson
- Latest
- Trending
