Davao City, Philippines - A man posing as a member of the al-Qaeda international terrorist network was arrested in the southern Philippines for attempting to extort money from companies, a regional police chief said Thursday. Chief Superintendent Andres Caro said the suspect was arrested last week in Davao City, 990 kilometres south of Manila, after sending emails to banks and other companies in the area demanding up to 60 million pesos (1.44 million dollars).
The suspect allegedly threatened to launch terrorist attacks against the victims if they would not pay up, according to Caro.
Caro added that several victims informed the police about the threat, prompting an investigation that led to the arrest of the suspect inside an internet cafe in Davao City as he was about to send another extortion letter.
Investigators found that the suspect is facing a number of fraud charges in nearby Butuan City and has no links to the al-Qaeda.
Davao City and other areas in the southern Philippines have been hit in the past by terrorist attacks blamed on al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf rebels and Jemaah Islamiyah militants.
