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AUTHORITIES yesterday brought back to this city three alleged members of the terrorist Maute Gang a day after their arrest in Iloilo City.

Lt. Senior Grade Edison Diaz, acting Coast Guard station commander in Iloilo, said a Coast Guard team took the suspects and left Iloilo at around 5:30 am yesterday.

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Diaz said that procedural investigation would be conducted in Cagayan de Oro.

The suspects–two male and a female–were arrested Sunday afternoon at the port of Iloilo.

They were identified as Aljajid Pangumping Romato, 20; Abdulrahman Serd Dimakutah, 25, and Farida Pangumping Romato, 23.

Senior Supt. Robert Roy Bahian, Cagayan de Oro police director, said the suspects were now undergoing “evaluation  and verification.”

Bahian said investigators here were also establishing if the suspects really came from Cagayan de Oro.

Diaz said the alleged Maute members travelled on board M/V St. Therese of Child Jesus by 2Go Travel from Cagayan de Oro, and they were bound for Manila. Authorities pounced on them when the vessel stopped over in Iloilo.

Capt. Leopoldo Panopio, commander of the Coast Guard in northern Mindanao, said the vessel already left the pier in Macabalan when authorities went there to check.

Panopio told local radio said authorities were unsure at first about the identity of the female suspect because she was wearing a hijab.

When the suspects’ identities were confirmed, Panopio said he and his men rushed to Iloilo.

“Before the vessel docked at Iloilo port, we boarded the vessel and searched for her,” Panopio said

Panopio said Farida was related to the Mautes, and all three suspects used aliases at the Cagayan de Oro port.

Panopio said initial investigation showed that the suspects came from Marawi City and managed to reach Cagayan de Oro using fake identities.

“Nag-iiba yung mukha nila. But when when we checked na-confirm pa rin sila,” he said.

Diaz said the three suspects denied that they were members of the Maute group or any terrorist group in Mindanao.

They said they were headed to Manila to be with their family that engages in a business in Cavite.

Diaz however said  the suspects were arrested based on Arrest Order no. 2 issued by martial law administrator and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

While the three alleged Maute members were on board the vessel from Cagayan de Oro, Diaz said, marshals with some Coast Guard and PNP Maritime Group personnel were already monitoring them.

Immediately after the vessel docked at the port here, Diaz said, the boarding team arrested them.

No firearm or any weapon was found from the suspects except their personal belongings.

Diaz said the three alleged Maute members might face charges, depending on the results of investigation in Cagayan de Oro. (pna, nitz arancon, lito rulona and nora sorino)

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