Philippine security forces arrest notorious bomb-maker

MANILA, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- A joint military and police team arrested a notorious Abu Sayyaf bomb-maker with 1.3 million pesos (around 26,000 U.S. dollars) bounty on his head, the military said on Thursday.

The military said Rahim Abdul was arrested on Tuesday during an operation in a remote village in Isabela City in Basilan, an island province off Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

"Abdul was positively identified by a civilian, leading to his arrest without resistance," the military statement read.

Abdul is on the government's most wanted list of rebels and criminals.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, the commander of the Western Mindanao Command, lauded the team "for the successful operation which led to the arrest of a notorious bomber."

The Abu Sayyaf group was set up in the early 1990s. The militant group is notorious for kidnapping-for-ransom, bombings and killing their captives when their multi-million-dollar ransom demand is not paid.

The militant group laid siege to the southern Philippine city of Marawi in May, leading to more than five months of fierce fighting that ruined the city and displaced thousands of its residents. Enditem