Alleged Abu Sayyaf member suspected of beheading Marines gives up to authorities

By Ronron
August 9, 2007

An alleged member of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) who is among the four identified suspected beheaders of Marine soldiers last July 10 in Basilan gave up on Thursday morning to authorities, a police official said.

Autonomous Region in Moslem Mindanao (ARMM) Police Director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao said Buhari Jamiri turned himself in to a GMA 7 News team, accompanied by members of the Department of Justice (DOJ), at around 6:30 am yesterday in Barangay Limbu Upas in Tipo-tipo town.

Jamiri was one of the four ASG members identified by two witnesses as among those who actually beheaded four of the 14 killed Marine soldiers during the July 10 firefight in Al-Barka town, said the investigation report of the Joint Fact-Finding Mission of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

He and two others, however, were not included in the 127 identified suspects listed in the arrest warrant issued by a Basilan court last July 26. Among the four, only Nurhassan Jamiri was listed.

Jamiri would be the first of those being hunted by authorities to fall.

In GMA 7’s interview with him, he said he surrendered because he feared for his life and for the sake of his family, especially his children.

“I cannot do anything if I go in hiding for the rest of my life… I am coming out now and expressing willingness to help the government because I am thinking of the welfare of my children,” Jamiri said in Filipino.

But he denied the allegation that he is an ASG member, more so that he beheaded a soldier, even as he admitted that he was part of those that fought against the Marine soldiers.

“My children are asking if I really cut off heads. But I did not do that,” Jamiri said.

“I was just in that group because it would be a shame if I back out. I have no choice but to open fire also,” he added.

According to him, he was just sitting in with the MILF group when he heard the commander gave an order to the members that if the government troops enter their territory, they will open fire because no coordination was made.

Jamiri said only two persons actually just committed the mutilation of the soldiers. He did not say if they were Abu Sayyaf members or MILF fighters.

Authorities have said they were working already for the inclusion of Buhari Jamiri in the arrest warrant’s coverage.

“He (Buhari Jamiri) was immediately brought to Zamboanga City,” Goltiao said over the phone, hinting of annoyance over the bypass made on Basilan Provincial Police Director Sr. Supt. Salik Macapantar.

“The right thing to do was to turn him over to the provincial police commander or to the judge,” said Goltiao.

“I would say that they are delaying things,” the police official said of the news team.

Goltiao said he was not immediately aware where Jamiri will be brought in Zamboanga City but the GMA News report said the suspect will be interrogated by the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) unit there.

Sought for confirmation, Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command spokesman Maj. Eugene Batara said in a phone interview that he has no immediate information about it.

“Although, usually, when it comes to terrorists, it’s really the ISAFP that interrogates them,” Batara said./DMS