Zamboanga City, Philippines - Philippine security forces have arrested a Muslim cleric on suspicion of being a member of an al-Qaeda-linked Islamic group, a police report said Tuesday. The suspect, Ustadz Jaiton Jala Timuay, was arrested last week in the islet of Capual off Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group, according to the report.
Police said Timuay, believed to be a member of the Abu Sayyaf, participated in the kidnapping of 21 people, mostly foreign tourists, on Sipadan island in Malaysia in 2000.
Timuay has been detained at the police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Zamboanga City.
Colleagues disputed the claims of the police and said the cleric was not involved in the Sipadan kidnapping since he was in Syria from 1998 to 2005.
Sheikh Abdukawil Tanjilil, a ranking cleric in the area, has appealed to the police to immediately release Timuay.
Government forces have been conducting military operations against Abu Sayyaf rebels and their supporters on Jolo island and the nearby province of Basilan.
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines. The United States has linked the group to the al-Qaeda international terrorist network.
