Abu Sayyaf member in Bohol killed during escape try

Saad Samad Kiram, alias Abu Saad, one of the Abu Sayyaf members who entered Bohol province in April and was captured last Thursday, was killed while trying to escape before dawn Friday, a police official said.

Bohol Provincial Office Senior Police Supt. Felipe Natividad said Saad tried to escape around 2 a.m. when he was being transported to the Bohol District Jail (BDJ) from the Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) where he had been held for tactical interrogation.

Saad was being transferred to the BDJ because he was considered a high-risk detainee.

He was inside the van with three escorts. When they reached Cabawan District, some 300 meters from the BDJ, he asked if he could defecate in a shabby area.

"Sumakit iyang tiyan kay nag LBM," said a police official who requested anonymity .

However, Saad ran toward the direction of Cortes town. When cornered during a chase, Saad engaged his escorts in a fistfight.  

"Nagkigsinumbagay pa siya sa mga police. Maayo mangamot (Saad was good at fistfight)," said the police official. Police shot Saad in his leg, chest, and head.

Natividad said the incident is under investigation.

Earlier, security forces sealed off parts of Bohol province as the search for remnants of Abu Sayyaf intruders continued.

The military said there are only three remained of the Abu Sayyaf group that slipped into Bohol last April 11.

Six bandits, including Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Muammar Askali alias Abu Rami, were killed during clashes last April 11 in Inabanga town.

Four more were killed by the military in Clarin town on April 23 Saturday.

On May 4, two more were captured, including Saad. — with a report from Amita Legaspi and Bernadette Parco/LBG/TJD, GMA News