COTABATO CITY — Police operatives raided on Tuesday morning, March 19, the compound of the late Maguindanao governor Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr. in Barangay Satan, Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao and seized explosives and ammunition.
Authorities however, missed to arrest the principal suspects.
In a report published by Philippine News Agency, Maguindanao police director, Col. Ronald Briones, said authorities raided the compound to enforce the search warrant issued by a local court.,
The raiding team found and seized two rifle grenade projectiles and 240 rounds of 5.56 live ammunition mainly used for M16 rifles.
But Briones said, the six principal suspects were able to evade arrest.
A police report identified the targets as Kamsa Salik, Kuryano Usop, Babai Mama Usop, Nasri Salik, Benjar Salik, and Pangandaman Salik, whose affiliation to the Ampatuans have yet to be fully determined.
Briones said the suspects are facing charges for violation of Republic Act (RA) 10591 (Illegal Possession of Firearms and Ammunition) and RA 9516 (Illegal Possession of Explosives).
The clan’s patriarch, Andal Ampatuan, was one of the principal suspects in the infamous election-related Nov.23, 2009 massacre of 58 persons, 32 of them newsmen. He died due to liver cancer at a hospital in Manila in July 2015.
The raid was a joint operation by operatives from Maguindanao police force and Shariff Aguak police office.-NewsLine.ph
