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Arabic teacher decries inclusion in warrantBy Julie Alipala, Joel Guinto MANILA, Philippines -- A suspect in the beheading of Marine troops in Basilan province has surrendered, local and police officials in the southern Philippines said. The suspect, Buhari Jamiri, turned himself in to a GMA television news team in Limbu Upas, Tipo-Tipo town at around 6:30 a.m., Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police director, and Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar, Basilan police director, confirmed. "They [GMA news team] brought the suspect immediately to Zamboanga City," Macapantar said. Goltiao said the news team was accompanied by a team from the Department of Justice. This was also confirmed by former Tuburan mayor of Tuburan, Basilan Hajaron Jamiri and Lamitan Mayor Roderick Furigay, who said the suspect gave himself up to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Zamboanga City.
"What I know is that this suspect was brought to Zamboanga City for tactical interrogation and has expressed intention to become a state witness," Furigay said. But Goltiao said the GMA news team should have brought Jamiri directly to the police or the Basilan court and not to Zamboanga City. "I would say that they are delaying things. The right thing to do was to turn him over to the [Basilan] provincial police commander or to the judge," Goltiao said in a phone interview. At the same time, however, Goltiao also admitted that, while he has been charged in court, no warrant for Jamiri's arrest has yet been issued. Buhari was earlier named by Basilan Representative Wahab Akbar as behind the incident. The Jamiri included in the warrant of arrest issued for the 127 suspects charged for the July 10 beheadings is not named Buhari but a Nurhasan. Nurhasan is one of four alleged Abu Sayyaf members eyewitnesses said were responsible for beheading four of the 10 decapitated Marines but the only one named in the warrant. Nevertheless, Goltiao said: "This is what we expect in Basilan, that the suspects turn themselves in." The MILF, which owned up to the ambush, had earlier said Jamiri is not one of them and could be a member of the extremist Abu Sayyaf. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net, has learned that aside from the Albarka incident, Jamiri is also facing charges for the murder of former Tuburan Mayor Jain Pawaki about 10 years ago. Meanwhile, an Arabic teacher in Lamitan City said he could not understand why he was identified by authorities as one of the 127 suspects. Ustadz Aleem Usman Mangkabong, 60, said he was busy with the final examinations of two Islamic schools in Lamitan on July 10. Magkabong said he learned he was among those tagged as behind the Albarka incident a week ago. "I just could not believe it. I was really surprised," he said in the vernacular. He said he initially decided to surrender to clear his name but was persuaded by his relatives not to do so. "Now I could not even go out my house because of fear," he said. Mangkabong said the last time he visited Albarka was about three years ago. Ustadz Bayan Marudjin, director of the Mahad Da'wah Al-Islamiya in Lamitan, said he could also not also understand why Mangkabong was named a suspect in the July 10 incident. "We want to know who the witnesses were because they gave the wrong information," Marudjin said, adding he could vouch for Mangkabong's innocence. "I pity the old man who could hardly walk and [has] spent his life teaching Hadith [the Prophet Muhammad's sayings] [but] now he is being implicated in the beheadings," Mohammad Halling, Mahad Da'wah Al-Islamiya student council president, said. Furigay also vouched for Mangkabong's innocence. "He is a respected old man here and we were surprised that he was among those wanted for the ambush," Furigay said. Goltiao also said that at least two other people have sent surrender feelers and claimed to have been involved in the July 10 incident. "But we are wary that they are really involved in the encounter since they are very old already," he said.
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