PMA imam shot dead in Baguio

MANILA — A Muslim imam of the Philippine Military Academy was shot and killed around 11:30 a.m. yesterday in Baguio City.

A video obtained by Philstar.com shows Bedejim Abdullah walking into the entrance of Discovery Islam, an Islamic education institution along Kayang St., when he was shot four times.

The unidentified suspect ran off on foot after shooting Abdullah from behind.

Abdullah teaches Islamic theology at the PMA. Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan directed the police to “immediately arrest the gunman to give justice to the senseless killing.”

Police are checking CCTV camera footage and investigating the motive behind the killing.

Abdullah Samsoden Monib, a friend and colleague of the victim, said that Abdullah had no personal or business enemies, but mentioned that he had been receiving threats from alleged fundamentalist groups.

"If you are spreading the right teaching, then you can be sure that other sectors will threaten you," he added.

Lawyer Yasser Guru, provincial head of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos in Baguio City, condemned the killing and urged authorities to intensify their operations to get into the bottom of Abdullah’s murder.

Abdullah, who is survived by his seven children from two Muslim marriages, will be brought to a Muslim cemetery in Norzagaray, Bulacan.—Philstar.com