Terror suspect dies in Philippine shootout

Indonesian terror suspect Fathur Al-Ghozi, one of Asia’s most wanted men after escaping from Manila police headquarters in July, was believed to have been killed in a shoot-out with Philippine troops and police, officials said.

Al-Ghozi, a confessed member of the al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian Muslim extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah, was serving 12 years for illegally possessing explosives.

His escape became a major embarrassment for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, coming while Australian Prime Minister John Howard was visiting to discuss counter-terrorism cooperation.

He also admitted involvement in a series of bombings on December 30, 2000, in Manila that killed 22 people and injured more than 100 others.

Officials had expressed concerns that the chance of a terror attack was higher with Al-Ghozi on the loose, and US President George W Bush is to arrive for an eight-hour visit next Saturday.

Army Major General Generoso Senga said Al-Ghozi was believed to have died around 8pm local time (1pm Irish time) yesterday in Pigkawayan town, in North Catabato province, in a shoot-out with military and police, led by the Presidential Anti-crime and Emergency Response (PACER) team, who were conducting joint operations at the time.

“This operation has been going on for a long time now, but it looks like PACER got him,” General Senga said. “The body is being verified. It’s better to be sure.”

Other officials would not confirm the report but said President Arroyo was expected to make an official announcement today.

Al-Ghozi slipped out of the police headquarters compound with Omar Opik Lasal and Abdulmukim Edris, two suspected members of the brutal Abu Sayyaf group, which also has been linked with al-Qaida.

Lasal was arrested on Friday elsewhere in the southern Philippines.

Edris was killed in August after he allegedly tried to grab the gun of a soldier shortly after he was detained at a roadblock.

Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for last year’s Bali bombings and the terror blast at the JW Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in August.