Another suspect in Maguindanao massacre nabbed

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - Combined police operatives and Army combatants arrested Saturday another suspect in the infamous Nov. 23, 2009 “Maguindanao Massacre” in Datu Abdullah Sangki town in the province.

The suspect, Dixon Saptula, also known as Mohammad Adam, a former member of the now defunct private militia of the Ampatuan clan, was cornered along with a companion, Toto Pamanay, in Barangay Banaba in Datu Abdullah Sangki, by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, and soldiers from the Army’s 45th and 46th Infantry Battalions.

Lt. Col. Donald Hongitan, commanding officer of the 45th IB, said the joint military-police operation that led to the arrest of Saptula was carried out with the help of local officials.

“The purpose was only to arrest this massacre suspect based on a warrant issued by a court, but incidentally, Pamanay was also there, in possession of firearms, so our counterparts in the police took custody of him,” said Hongitan, who was among the senior Army officers who helped supervise the raid at Saptula’s  hideout.

Saptula was one of the gunmen involved in the slaughter of 58 people, 23 of them journalist, in Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town almost four years ago.

Operatives of the CIDG in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao learned of the presence of Saptula in Barangay Banaba from local villagers.

Saptula and Pamanay, who is an alleged member of the 106th Base Command of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, voluntarily turned themselves in when they sensed that CIDG agents and soldiers have surrounded their lair, ready to engage if they resist arrest.

Local officials said Saptula was coddled by a rebel group belonging to the MILF’s 106th Base Command since the time he escaped from Shariff Aguak town immediately after the arrest in December 7, 2003 of several members of the Ampatuan family who allegedly masterminded the massacre.

The duo yielded an M-16 assault rifle, a calibre .45 pistol and fragmentation grenades to the joint police-military raiding team.

The suspects are now in the custody of the CIDG-ARMM, which will  charge Pamanay with illegal possession of firearm and explosives.