Lookout in mayor’s RPG ambush surrenders

MANILA, Philippines — A lookout in the fourth assassination attempt on Mayor Akmad Mitra Ampatuan Sr. of Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao del Sur surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao over the weekend.

The suspect executed his extrajudicial confession about the rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on Ampatuan in January, according to Jeremy Lotoc, the NBI director in the region.

“He has personal knowledge about the incident,” Lotoc said at a briefing yesterday, adding, “He knows the details, those who organized, those who arranged and the mastermind.”

According to the lookout’s affidavit, he received P15,000 to participate in the attack, which involved two men, including one who fired the RPG into the mayor’s armored vehicle.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the lookout’s testimony matched the details of the incident based on the bureau’s initial field validation.

“We now have a clear lead on the suspects,” Matibag said.