KOTA KINABALU, April 20 — The high court here was told today that a targeted village was divided into five sectors in an operation to track down two people linked to the Lahad Datu intrusion about two years ago.

Former Bukit Aman Special Action Unit (UTK) operations assistant commander ACP Hazani Ghazali said this was because Kampung Sri Melor in Semporna - where the Special Branch (SB) traced the two suspects’ handphone signals to - comprised many houses.

He said each sector consisted of UTK teams assigned to raid, observe and control the village while the search for the suspects, Datu Amir Bahar Hushin Kiram and Norhaida Ibnahi was carried out on March 22, 2013.

“I also instructed all the teams to conduct house-to-house inspection in all the sectors to track down Datu Amir Bahar and his followers, as well as Norhaida,” he added.

However, he said only the raiding teams conducted the inspection, while the surveillance teams guarded the area as well as served as back-up to the raiding teams.

Hazani, who is now Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) deputy chief of staff (Special Operations Command) in Lahad Datu was testifying at the trial of 30 individuals linked to the intrusion by Sulu gunmen at Kampung Tanduo in Lahad Datu.

He told the court that although the village was split into sectors A, B, C, D and E, concentration was given to Sector C.

“I was informed by ASP Wan Kamal Rizal Wan Daud (liaison officer for SB and UTK) that the suspects’ handphone signals were active in Sector C,” he said, adding that the sector was led by UTK officer Inspector Radin Ramlan Radin Taha.

In the dock are 27 Filipinos and three local residents who are facing one to multiple charges of being members of a terrorist group, waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, recruiting members for a terrorist group or wilfully harbouring individuals they knew to be members of a terrorist group.

They allegedly committed the offences between Feb 12 and April 10, 2013.

The hearing before Justice Stephen Chung at the Sabah Prisons Department continues tomorrow. — Bernama