Philippines arrests suspected Islamist militant recruiter

MANILA: Philippine security forces have arrested a foreigner suspected of recruiting domestic fighters for proIslamic State (IS) militant groups, including an alliance that occupied a southern city for five months last year, police said yesterday.

Director-General Ronald dela Rosa paraded before the media Fehmi Lassoued ( pix) and his Filipino girlfriend, Anabel Salipada, three days after they were arrested in an apartment a few blocks away from the US embassy in Manila.

“A thorough investigation is now underway to determine the extent of their involvement with international and domestic threat groups,” dela Rosa said, adding that an undisclosed foreign intelligence ally gave details of Lassoued’s identity and activities.

Police also displayed handguns, ammunition and components for making improvised explosive devices and an IS flag, which were confiscated from the duo.

“Most likely, he is here with the intention to recruit IS sympathisers in Mindanao.”

Dela Rosa said Lassoued has been travelling to Malaysia, the Philippines and Turkey in the last two years and first arrived in Manila in June 2016 on a Tunisian passport, which was found to be fake.

Lassoued was born in the United Arab Emirates and is of Libyan and Tunisian descent but lived in Syria for many years, he added. – Reuters