Sea Eagle
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An Australian Islamic preacher suspected of rallying support for Isis militants in Syria has been arrested in the Philippines, where he has been preaching radical Islam and recruiting militants since February, according to Australian police.
Melbourne-native Robert Cerantonio, 29, who goes by the alias of Musa, was arrested on Friday morning in Lapu-Lapu city on the island of Cebu in the central Philippines, along with a Filipina woman and Filipino man, a stack of different currencies, SIM cards, mobile phones and his passport.
"He has been literally calling for jihad," a senior police intelligence official told Reuters. "He has been recruiting Filipino Muslims to fight in Iraq and Syria."
Australian federal police had been reportedly tracking Cerantonio for months and are likely to deport him back to Australia for full questioning. His arrest is a major boon for the intelligence community as it is the first known link between Islamist militants in the Philippines and foreign jihadists who support conflicts in the Middle East.
Cerantonio is considered by terrorism experts to be one of the world's most influential "inspirations" for militants in Syria and Iraq, according to Australian media. Police said Cerantonio had given lectures in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) in Basilan and Sulu, two southern Philippine provinces where Filipino Muslim extremists operate, and that he may have been involved in distributing an online video showing what appear to be militant Filipino prisoners inside a jail supporting Isis.
Continue reading at --->
Australian Islamic preacher arrested in Philippines over alleged Isis links | World news | theguardian.com
Melbourne-native Robert Cerantonio, 29, who goes by the alias of Musa, was arrested on Friday morning in Lapu-Lapu city on the island of Cebu in the central Philippines, along with a Filipina woman and Filipino man, a stack of different currencies, SIM cards, mobile phones and his passport.
"He has been literally calling for jihad," a senior police intelligence official told Reuters. "He has been recruiting Filipino Muslims to fight in Iraq and Syria."
Australian federal police had been reportedly tracking Cerantonio for months and are likely to deport him back to Australia for full questioning. His arrest is a major boon for the intelligence community as it is the first known link between Islamist militants in the Philippines and foreign jihadists who support conflicts in the Middle East.
Cerantonio is considered by terrorism experts to be one of the world's most influential "inspirations" for militants in Syria and Iraq, according to Australian media. Police said Cerantonio had given lectures in support of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) in Basilan and Sulu, two southern Philippine provinces where Filipino Muslim extremists operate, and that he may have been involved in distributing an online video showing what appear to be militant Filipino prisoners inside a jail supporting Isis.
Continue reading at --->
Australian Islamic preacher arrested in Philippines over alleged Isis links | World news | theguardian.com
