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Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Terrorists chief grew up in Cebu
By Jovy S. Taghoy
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
Officials of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 yesterday confirmed reports that the new leader of the Rajah Solaiman group came from Cebu.
Supt. Lani-o Nerez, deputy regional director for operations and Supt. Augusto Marquez Jr., chief of the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division, identified the alleged leader as Dino Amor Rosalejos-Pareja, also known as Kahlil Pareja.
Pareja was born in Sorsogon, but grew up in Cebu City, Nerez told reporters.
He finished his high school in a state university and was an undergraduate student of a Catholic university. He also reportedly got married in Cebu.
Pareja allegedly joined the group in 2001 and underwent training in Afghanistan.
Police revealed the information less than a week after two alleged Rajah Solaiman group members, Ali Usop and Datu Niel Ulama, were found to have planted a bomb in front of one entrance to SM City mall in Cebu City.
Usop and Ulama later died in a shootout.
Targets
Marquez explained Pareja took over the leadership after Hilarion del Rosario Santos III, alias Ahmed Islam Santos, and Pio de Vera, the second-in-command, were arrested last year.
Pareja was reportedly third in line in the group, apart from being Santos’ brother-in-law.
Pareja and a certain Abu Tarik have been conducting casing operations in Cebu since last year, said Marquez.
Their targets, according to Marquez, included SM City, Ayala Center, Robinson’s Place, Gaisano Country Mall, the Marce-lo Fernan Bridge, Basilica del Sto. Niño, Carbon market and high-end resorts in Lapu-Lapu City.
Marquez believes that Pareja and Tarik, now the subjects of a manhunt, are still in Cebu.
The PRO 7 came to know about the group’s plans to bomb some establishments in Cebu from the tactical interrogation conducted on de Vera, who was arrested in the third week of December in Zamboanga.
De Vera was reportedly on his way to Cebu to meet with Pareja when he was caught.
Interrogation
Pareja left for Cebu ahead of de Vera, on Dec. 15, police learned.
Some of the information they received about the group’s plans came from the Indonesian police.
During the tactical interrogation, de Vera reportedly told the investigators they were in Cebu last June 15 to July 17 to start casing possible targets.
The PRO 7 has alerted all the mentioned establishments to strengthen security measures, particularly after last week’s foiled attack.
Nerez and Senior Supt. Carmelo Valmoria, Regional Operations and Plans Division chief, have been meeting with the establishments’ management to conduct briefings on security measures, Marquez said.
Ver de la Cerna, Ayala Mall’s customer affairs manager, said in an interview over radio dyLA that they have mapped out security measures.
“Our security force is ready to protect our establishment and our customers,” he assured.
Police have also learned that Usop and Ulama had standing warrants of arrest for kidnapping and bombing cases in Mindanao.
Nerez confirmed that Usop and Ulama, who were first-degree cousins, were also involved in the Feb. 14, 2005 bombing in Mindanao.
Both Nerez and Marquez reiterated their appeal to the public to be more vigilant. (JST)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 17, 2006 issue)
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