(Eagle News) — A Syrian national believed to be a member of an international terrorist organization and his Filipino cohort were arrested by authorities in Manila over the weekend, the Philippine National Police said on Monday.
A PNP statement said Fehmi Lassqued alias John Rasheed Lassoned; and Anabel Moncera Salipada, 32, of Upi, Maguindanao, were nabbed at Room 409 of Casa Blanca apartment on M, Adriatico, Malate, after “assorted firearms, ammunition and components for Improvised Explosive Device (IED) such as electronic circuits, resistors, capacitors, batteries, and pipe fittings” were discovered there by operatives of the Regional Police Intelligence Operations Unit (RPIOU) of the National Capital Region Police Office and the Armed Forces of the Philippines Joint Special Operations Group.
The group had secured approval to search the quarters from Hon. Benjamin T. Pozon, Presiding Judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 139 of Makati City.
According to the PNP, Lassqued, who carried a Tunisian passport, “is believed to be a member of an international terrorist organization.”
It said a “thorough investigation is now underway to determine the extent of their involvement with international and domestic threat groups.”
“The arrest of Lassqued and Salipada may have effectively thwarted whatever hostile activities they were up to, but we will not lower our guard, rather, we will continue to mount proactive operations against terrorism,” PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa said in the statement.
