The ninth suspect of Davao City bombing, who is a former policeman, and four other persons were arrested by government authorities in a checkpoint at the province of Maguindanao last Thursday.

Major Ray Tiongson, deputy Army public affairs chief, said the Criminal Investigation and Detection and Group Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), local police, and elements from 37th Infantry Battalion were conducting checkpoints when they arrested the five suspects at the vicinity of Sitio South Madalum, Brgy Nabalawag, Barira Maguindanao around 4 pm.

Tiongson said the government forces held six vehicles with no plate numbers and this led to the arrest of the five suspects.

The former policeman was “ex PO2 Jessy Vincent Guinto Original alyas Abu Aisha, formerly assigned at Antipolo Police Station and among of those responsible in the Davao Night Market Bombing,” said Tiongson.

The four were identified as Arumpac Ibrahim Pandita, Hamsa Bagul, Musa Rasamal and Mohammad Said Jamla.

“Other passengers of the vehicles left the area and abandoned the cars,” he said.

Tiongson said Abu Aisha is the 9th personality involved in the Davao City bombing neutralized by authorities.

He said the government is verifying the possible link of the four suspects in the Davao City bombing incident.

Government forces recovered some war materials from the vehicles and apprehended suspects.

“Found in one of the vehicles was a set of improvised explosive device (IED) materials while found in the possession and control of arrested personalities were four fragmentation grenades,” Tiongson said.

The suspects were brought to the regional criminal investigation group while the confiscated vehicles were placed under custody of the regional highway patrol group, he added. Robina Asido/DMS