KOTA KINABALU, Feb 25 — Unidentified armed men set fire to the home of slain Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Hir or “Marwan” in Barangay village in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province on Tuesday, Philippines police said today.
Mamasapano police chief Senior Inspector Reggie Abellera was quoted by the Philippine Star as saying that the incident took place at about 10pm yesterday by men brandishing assault rifles and shoulder-fire grenade launchers.
“We have confirmed that from Barangay folks and community leaders,” Abellera said.
The arson attack came just hours after members of the government’s Board of Inquiry toured Barangay village to inspect the site of the deadly January 25 encounter between policemen and Moro rebels, which also saw Marwan, who was once Southeast Asia’s most wanted terrorist, killed inside his hut.
The Philippine Star also reported that the arsonists used dried coconut palms and kerosene to set Marwan’s house on fire.
Abellera said they are still trying to establish the identities of the arsonists with the help of Mamasapano’s community elders and traditional leader.
Marwan was reportedly killed by members of the Special Action Force, the US-trained police commandos of the Philippine National Police, in a raid they conducted on January 25.
The operation eventually ended tragically with an ambush by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), leaving 44 SAF members, 18 MILF guerrillas and five civilians dead.
The ceasefire occurred only after the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team intervened.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation had previously put a US$5 million (RM18 million) bounty on Marwan, a bomb maker believed involved in several terrorist groups, including Jemaah Islamiyah and Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia.
The Johor-born Zulkifli was in hiding in Mamasapano under the protection of the BIFF until his death.
