Davao City (CNN Philippines) — President Rodrigo Duterte confirmed the arrest of the son of a leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) for his alleged involvement in a deadly blast that killed 15 people and injured 70 in a night market here.
Datu Mohammad Abduljabbar Sema, the son of former Cotabato mayor and MNLF leader Muslimin Sema and Maguindanao congresswoman Bai Sandra Sema was arrested in Malaysia, Duterte said in remarks to the business community here late Saturday.
Duterte did not elaborate on the involvement of Sema, 26, in the Davao blast last September 2, but linked him to the Maute terror group.
“Kayong nagputok diyan sa Maute, they have all been accounted for. Nahuli ko na lahat iyan. Iyong isa diyan anak ni Sema, mayor ng Cotabato. He is now detained diyan sa Malaysia,” Duterte said in his speech.
[Translation: “Those Maute members (involved in the bombings), they have all been accounted for. I’ve captured them all. One of them is the son of Sema, the Cotabato mayor. He is now detained in Malaysia.”]
The Maute terror group has been blamed for the Davao night market blast, and a siege in the town of Butig in Lanao del Sur in November. Seven other suspects have been rounded up by police in relation to the Davao bombing.
The arrest of the younger Sema, an Islamic scholar, was first reported by independent news organization VERA Files. The report by VERA said Sema, 26, was arrested on November 24, 2016 at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport upon his arrival there from Bangkok.
The legal basis for the young Sema’s detention in Malaysia remains unclear. But VERA files in its report last Friday said that the Philippines sent law enforcement representatives in December to Malaysia take Sema’s deposition.
The elder Sema, one of the key figures of the MNLF, is set to be appointed a member of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission. The commission is key to drafting a new Bangsamoro Basic Law, which the Duterte administration hopes will end more than four decades of fighting in Mindanao.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza on Friday declined comment by phone to CNN Philippines on the arrest of Sema, due to “sensitive implications” on the peace negotiations.
This is a developing story. Please refresh the page for updates.
