An alleged former member of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group (DI-MG) linked to the strafing and other hostile incidents in Lanao del Norte was arrested in Barangay Maria Cristina, Baloi town.

Police arrested the suspect identified as alias “Ikrima,” 24, a resident of Munai town, by virtue of a warrant for direct assault with attempted murder.

According to the Police Regional Office-Northern Mindanao (PRO-10), the suspect was allegedly responsible for the attack against personnel of the Maigo Municipal Police Station who were conducting police visibility operation at a food house on December 20, 2023.

A police officer sustained a gunshot wound and minor injuries during the incident.

Authorities added that the suspect was also allegedly involved in other incidents across the province, including the armed encounter in Barangay Ramain, Munai that killed six soldiers under the 44th Infantry Battalion and wounded nine others on February 18, 2024.

The suspect was also linked to the ambush of two intelligence operatives of the 51st Infantry Battalion in Munai and the bombing of a tower of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in Barangay Paiton, Kauswagan.

The suspect is now detained.

“This arrest highlights our firm determination to hold criminals and terrorists accountable. Let it be clear: there is no safe haven for those who endanger peace—whether in remote areas or within our communities. The law will find them. We urge the remaining terrorists to surrender now and choose peace over violence," PRO-10 Director, Brigaider General Jaysen De Guzman, said.