Former mayor allegedly linked to Marawi siege nabbed after PDP-Laban rally

MARAWI CITY - Authorities arrested on Friday afternoon a former mayor with alleged ties to the Marawi Siege after he attended a PDP Laban campaign rally at the Mindanao State University.

Nabbed was former Marawi City mayor and current mayoral candidate Omar Solitario Ali.

He was escorted by 82nd Infantry Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Jake Jumawan and his men to the military camp.

Former Marawi City Mayor Omar Solitario Ali was arrested on Friday, April 12, 2019, for his alleged link to the Marawi siege. Merlyn Manos

103rd Brigade Commander Colonel Romeo Brawner confirmed that Ali was invited for questioning over alleged rebellion stemming from the siege two years ago and that the office of Judge Advocate General is building up a case against the latter.

Ali had not been seen in public after the Department of National Defense issued an arrest order in September 2017 against hundreds of men linked to the siege.

Despite lying low, Ali managed to file his Certificate of Candidacy for the 2019 local elections. Ali is among the nine people running for the post of Marawi City mayor. He is running under the banner of the local party PCP-Ompia but is also supporting PDP-Laban.

In an interview with GMA News days before his arrest, Ali vehemently denied being involved in the Maute-ISIS attack that devastated Marawi.

Ali's son incumbent vice mayor Arafat Salic was also arrested last month for the same charges but was released by the Department of Justice after it found that the arrest order was invalid as it was not issued by courts.

In June 2018, Ali's brother former mayor Fahad Salic was also arrested in Cagayan de Oro because of his affinity to the Mautes. —KG, GMA News