Police-military team arrest alleged Abu Sayyaf bomb expert

January 9, 2018

ZAMBOANGA CITY - Joint police and military operatives have arrested an alleged explosive expert of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in this city, an official said Tuesday.

Senior Supt. Vincent Neri Ignacio, director of the Zamboanga City Police Office, identified the suspect as Benjar Engeng alias Ben Akmad, a native of Basilan province and temporarily residing in Maharlika Village, Taguig City.

Ignacio said Engeng was served a search warrant around 10:45 p.m. Monday at a pension house in Barangay Divisoria here.

Ignacio said the arresting team recovered an improvised bomb hidden  in a black bag and placed inside the cabinet of Engeng’s room.

He said the Explosive Ordnance Demolition (EOD) team defused the recovered improvised bomb.

“The type of IED (Improvised Explosive Device) shows the expertise of this person, meaning he has gone a lot of experience,” he said.

He said Engeng is a follower of Imam Intong Mandan, one of the ASG leaders.

But Engeng denied he is an ASG member and a bomb expert of the bandit group.

Engeng claimed he just helped his cousin, who assembled the improvised bomb that was recovered inside the cabinet. He identified his cousin only as a certain Amilhassan.

“Actually, it will not explode,” Engeng said citing it is just a bomb replica.

He added that Amilhassan was contracted by a resident of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi to assemble the bomb replica.

He said they will be paid P30,000 once they will send the picture of the bomb replica to the person who contracted Amilhassan.

Amilhassan was not around when the lawmen swooped down the pension and arrested Engeng. Engeng suspects he was framed by his cousin.

Ignacio said charges for illegal possession of explosive against Engeng, who is detained at Zambo police headquarters. DMS