I believe that we may be getting reports of a or mutiple 
performed in Fallujah sooner rather than later, although it is long over due.
I believe that we may be getting reports of a or mutiple performed in Fallujah sooner rather than later, although it is long over due.
By JEOFFREY MAITEM
TODAY Correspondent
COTABATO CITY - Men in police uniforms aboard two vehicles bearing no license plates picked up four Turkish nationals here on Wednesday night, apparently on suspicion of having links with the al-Qaeda network of international terrorist Osama bin Laden, a report said.
Zamzamin Ampatuan, undersecretary of the Office on Muslim Affairs, however, claimed that the four foreigners, whom he identified as Mansur Omer Secuglo, Ismael, Amed and Alpaslan (their family names were not immediately known), were not terrorists, claiming they had been working for almost three years as consultants and lecturers at Imam Institute, an Islamic School based here.
Ampatuan owns Iman Institute at Tamontaka district here.
Ampatuan said uniform-wearing police officers aboard two Grey vans without license plates arrived at the foreigners’ apartment on Gonzalo Javier Street around 10 p.m. and took the four with them.
“I doubt that those men were military and police. They presented a memorandum from the Bureau of Immigration to intimidate other persons inside the apartment,” Ampatuan said when interviewed by Radio Mindanao Networks here from Manila.
“I believe this is pure abduction. Until now we have not received any communication from the suspects demanding ransom,” Ampatuan added.
The terrorist al-Qaeda network was responsible for the series of bomb attacks worldwide, including the September 2001 bombing of World Trade Center in New York City.
Farida, wife of Ampatuan, said in telephone interview that the Turkish nationals were not included in the memorandum showed by policemen to Secuglo’s wife, Anna Marie.
Quoting accounts of Anna Marie, Farida said the foreigners included in the memorandum addressed to Maj. Reymundo Liwag and signed by Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez were Tarik Khan, Muhamman Almutawali and Mutalib Abdul Racman.
“A guy wearing a barong told Annie Marie that she had nothing to worry about because their operation was legal. The guy showed the memorandum coming from the Bureau of Immigration but those included there were not them,” Farida said.
Before the incident, Farida said Anna Marie closed their house’s main gate around 9:45 p.m. following a commotion outside, but later Secuglo opened it when somebody knocked.
“The wife of Secugco was even arguing with the police because they had no arrest or search warrants with them,” Farida said.
Ampatuan said Secuglo worked as director of Imam while the rest served as teachers.
“I am calling on the military and police to look into this. In fact, I informed them before they came here three years ago that they are not terrorists. I ask the public to immediately inform authorities if they have any information on the whereabouts of the four. I’m worried about their safety,” Ampatuan said.
The latest report said the four foreigners were taken to the Bureau of Immigration in Manila.
The arrest of the Turkish nationals took place as the military and the police stepped up their operations against the extremist Abu Sayaff Group, six of whose members were arrested in Metro Manila where they were reportedly on a bombing mission.
AMMAN, Jordan, April 1 (UPI) -- Jordanian authorities disrupted an attempt to smuggle a truckload of arms and explosives through the border with Syria, security sources said Thursday.
Daily al-Arab quoted the sources as saying police were searching for suspected terrorists who planned to carry out attacks in Jordan. Security was stepped up around government buildings, foreign embassies and vital installations to prevent possible hostile action.
In the meantime, the Interior Ministry offered a reward for tips and information leading to the arrest of three suspects believed linked to terrorist organizations.
A ministry statement said Suleiman Khaled Darwish, Azmi Abdel Fatah al-Haj and Mowafak Ali al-Adwan, are dangerous criminals wanted by the security authorities and urged citizens with information about their whereabouts to contact police.
Two Arab television channels also reported Jordanian authorities discovered a booby-trapped car smuggled into Jordan to be used in a terrorist attack.
Al-Arabiya of Dubai and al-Jazeera of Qatar, citing government spokeswoman Asma Khoder, reported security forces confiscated the car Thursday after a thorough search. But Khoder told UPI she had made no such statement.