Philippine authorities arrest Egyptian man suspected of being a terrorist
MANILA: Philippine authorities have arrested an Egyptian man suspected of being a member of an extremist group, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.
Philippine National Police chief Director Ronald dela Rosa yesterday said Fehmi Lassoued was arrested with a Filipino woman over the weekend inside his rented room at an apartment in Malate, Manila. Dela Rosa, who presented the suspect to the media, said Lassoued also used the name Jogn Rasheed Lassoued.
He identified the woman as Anabel Moncera Salipada of Upi town in the southern Philippine Maguindanao province.
“The arrest of Lassoued 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,” Dela Rosa said.
The authorities also confiscated assorted firearms, ammunition, components for improvised explosive device such as electronic circuits, resistors, capacitors, batteries and pipe fittings.
He said Lassoued entered the Philippines in July 2016 with a fake Tunisian passport, adding that both suspects were arrested following a tip from foreign military and police counterparts.
An investigation is underway to determine the couple’s involvement in the international terror group, including possible involvement in the attack in the southern Philippine city of Marawi in May last year, which triggered a five-month firefight that killed more than 1,200 people.