Yesterday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) confirmed that two Filipinos were arrested in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last Wednesday for having links to terrorism.
AFP Public Affairs Office chief Colonel Edgar Arevalo named the two Filipinos as Abraham Bin Ebong and Hajar Abdul Mubin. According to Arevalo, Mubin is the chief lieutenant of Furuji Indama, the leader of an Abu Sayyaf faction in Basilan, a province in the southern island of Mindanao.
The Abu Sayyaf is a jihadist militant group based in the southwestern part of the Philippines.
Ebong’s link terrorism has not been determined.
Both Mubin and Ebong are in an undisclosed detention facility in Kuala Lumpur.
Currently, factions of the Abu Sayyaf group are suspected to be participating in an armed battle against government troops in Marawi City with the IS-linked Maute group.
In June, the Philippines agreed to work with Malaysia and Indonesia in combating terrorism and extremism in the region.
