Sayyaf in cop’s slay nabbed in Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — A man arrested for illegal possession of firearms in this city on Saturday turned out to be an Abu Sayyaf bandit tagged in the ambush and killing of a police official in Sulu 13 years ago.

Ban Sali Ubbie, alias Ban Mannah of Maimbung, Sulu, was arrested during a raid in Barangay Arena Blanco, according to Col. Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City police director.

A joint police and intelligence team serving an arrest warrant against Ubbie recovered four handguns including three .45-caliber pistols and a revolver from the suspect.

“Ubbie was found to have standing arrest warrants for murder and frustrated murder issued by a court in Parang, Sulu in 2009,” Lorenzo said.

The charges stemmed from the suspect’s alleged involvement in the fatal ambush of Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, former Sulu police director, and his three security aides in Maimbung town in 2009.

Ubbie was a follower of slain Abu Sayyaf subleaders Albader Parad and Majan Sahijudjuan, alias Apoh Mike, who were tagged in cross-border kidnapping, extortion, robbery and other terror attacks in Sulu.

The suspect is detained at the Zamboanga City police detention cell.