A military official on Thursday said the patriarch of the Maute brothers was flown to Manila on Wednesday night since he was considered a “high-risk” detainee and the Maute terrorists might stage an attack to rescue him in Davao City.
Cayamora Maute, along with five other individuals, was arrested at a checkpoint in Toril, Davao City, on Tuesday morning.
“It is for security reasons that he was transferred. He is the patriarch, the head of the Maute clan and such he is considered a high-value individual and at the same time high-risk individual also. That’s why we opted to transfer him to Manila,” Eastern Mindanao deputy commander Brig. Gen Gilbert Gapay and martial law spokesperson for Mindanao said in a Palace briefing.
Gapay said they have not received any reports of a plot to rescue Cayamora but said it was not a remote possibility.
“But if we look at how Maute Group operates, there is one instance they rescued ordinary members of the group in Marawi and what more to Cayamora who is the head of the clan. It is not a remote possibility that they will also do that here in Davao while he is detained here,” he said.
The official said the armed forces was ready for any retaliatory attacks from the Maute Group either in Davao City or in Manila.
“We are also prepared for in the event of retaliatory, diversionary attacks here in the area of Eastern Mindanao. …We cannot discount the risk wherever he is, nandoon pa rin iyan (the risk is still there) because we know how the Maute Group operates and ito nga ang pinaghahandaan natin, ng ating (this is what we are preparing for, our) security forces, for any eventualities like this,” he said.