Firearms, explosives seized during arrest of Farhana Maute

This girl has spent the last 14 days at Buruun School of Fisheries Gymnasium in Iligan City. When she and members of her family will be able to go back home remains uncertain as fighting between the government troops and Maute Group members continue.
/Inquirer photo

ILIGAN CITY – Assorted firearms and explosives were seized during the arrest of Farhana Romato Maute, mother of terrorist leaders Omar and Abdullah, in Masiu, Lanao del Sur on Friday.

Chief Supt. Reuben Sindac, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao chief, said the Maute matriarch and seven other women were arrested in Barangay Tamboro Cormatan in Masiu, Lanao del Sur – about an hour by car from Marawi.

He said Farhana and the seven women were moving out of Masiu on a Toyota Revo when arrested.

Sindac said they were obviously crossing over to an area they deemed more safe.

Masiu is about 5 hours by car to Cotabato City and about the same travel time to some towns in Central Mindanao region.

Also on Friday, a teacher was “invited for questioning” after she checked in at a hotel in Cagayan de Oro City on Friday.

She was released after police authorities found she was not on the list of Maute family members being sought by government, said Chief Insp. Ariel Pontillas of the Cagayan de Oro City police’s intelligence unit.

“She had been cleared,” Pontillas said.

Meanwhile, three more persons were plucked out of the danger zone on Saturday.

The three civilians were rescued from Barangay (village) Saber II around 2:30 p.m.— after 18 days of being trapped in the fighting—by soldiers and members of the Lanao del Sur provincial rescue team.

The identities of the three civilians were not provided but two of them were male.

The lone woman, a nurse, was hysterical when she was brought to the provincial capitol compound here.