Terror attack foiled - 2 IS suspects nabbed
By Ghio Ong
MANILA, Philippines - Authorities foiled a possible terror attack following the arrest of a Kuwaiti man and his Syrian wife, both alleged members of the Islamic State (IS).
Kuwaiti Husayn al-Dhafiri and Syrian Rahaf Zina had been living and working in Manila since January. They were arrested on March 25 at a condominium unit in Taguig City, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II told a press conference yesterday.
“They arrived in the country on Jan. 28” from Qatar, Aguirre said, adding the couple used their real names in their passports issued in Kuwait.
Aguirre cited military intelligence reports pointing to al-Dhafiri as allegedly involved in explosives manufacturing and planning a terror attack against his home country Kuwait.
Immigration commissioner Jaime Morente added al-Dhafiri is a ranking IS operative in Syria and is also known as Warsh al-Kuwaiti and Abu Muslim al-Kuwaiti.
Morente said Zina is the widow of Abu Jandal Al-Kuwaiti, a high ranking IS commander who was killed during an airstrike in December last year.
Read the full story at PhilStar
---
2 suspected Islamic State members nabbed in BGC
By Audrey Morallo
MANILA, Philippines — Two suspected sympathizers of the so-called Islamic State (IS) were recently captured by agents of the Bureau of Immigration (BI) for violating the country's immigration laws in an operation in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
At a press conference, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II presented Hussein Al Dafiri from Kuwait and Rahaf Zina from Syria who had been living in the Philippines since January 28 this year.
Aguirre said that the Fugitive Search Unit (FSU) of the BI together with police and military officers arrested the two in Room 907 of Deluxe Residences on 28thStreet corner 4th Avenue in Bonifacio Global City on March 25.
Aguirre said that based on the information from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation Al Dafiri had links to terrorism and posed a threat to national security.
This intelligence information was confirmed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) which said that Al Dafiri was a member of IS and was involved in the manufacture of explosives and operation planning against Kuwait.
Read the full story at PhilStar