Indonesian JI suspect, 2 others held, DNA tests on remains

SHOTLIST Manila - 19 February, 2008 1. Wide of media briefing as suspected Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) member is brought in 2. Close-up of suspect shouting 3. Cutaway to media 4. Medium of officials with suspect still shouting, pullout to suspect being led away 5. SOUNDBITE (English) General Hermogenes Esperon, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief: "The suspect, who was arrested at a safe-house in Barangay Piso, Banaybanay, Davao Oriental were identified as Mohamad Baehaqi alias Latif, Salman or Tatoh, a JI leader." 6. Cutaway to photographer 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) General Hermogenes Esperon, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief: "The 26-year old Latif has been in the Philippines since September 2003. He admitted to having since joined the group of Dulmatin." FILE - Date Unknown 8. Wide shot of poster of US "Wanted List of Terrorists" in the Philippines 9. Tight shot of picture of Dulmatin on top of the list Manila - 19 February, 2008 10. SOUNDBITE: (English) General Hermogenes Esperon, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief "We now have the cadaver and there is a claim that that is the cadaver of Dulmatin. So, we are in coordination with the allied forces, especially with the United States, and we are now jointly conducting our DNA tests on the cadaver." 11. Wide shot of military officials in media briefing STORYLINE: An Indonesian militant suspect and two Filipinos were arrested during a raid on their safehouse in the southern Philippines, military officials said on Tuesday. Mohamad Baehaqi, who allegedly belonged to the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah terror network, was arrested in Banaybanay township in Davao Oriental province Sunday after more than a month of surveillance, military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon told reporters. Baehaqi struggled with his armed escorts as he was being presented and shouted to the media. Esperon said Baehaqi was arrested at a safehouse in the suburb of Barangay Piso in the municipality of Banaybanay, in the province of Davao Oriental. The police chief implicated Baehaqi in several bombings in the Philippines and linked him to another Indonesian and JI member, Dulmatin, an elusive terror suspect in the 2002 Bali bombings who authorities believe was killed in a clash with U.S.-backed troops. "The 26-year old Latif has been in the Philippines since September 2003," said Esperon. "He admitted to having since joined the group of Dulmatin," he added. Meanwhile, the Philippine military began DNA tests on Tuesday to determine if remains found in a jungle grave are those of Dulmatin. A millitary spokesman said a captured militant from the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group led government troops to a grave on Monday in the southernmost province of Tawi Tawi that contained a cadaver bearing gunshot wounds and closely resembling Ammar Usman, widely known as Dulmatin. "We now have the cadaver and there is a claim that that is the cadaver of Dulmatin. So, we are in coordination with allied forces, especially the United States, and we are now jointly conducting DNA tests on the cadaver," Esperon revealed. A master bomb-maker of the Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiyah group, Dulmatin has been accused of helping mastermind the 2002 nightclub bombings in the Indonesian resort of Bali that killed 202 people in Asia's worst terror attack. He fled the following year to the southern Philippines with another Bali bombing suspect, Umar Patek. Police intelligence officers said authorities would seek the help of the FBI in conducting the DNA tests, using samples taken from Dulmatin's wife and six children. The tests may take one to two months, the officers told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/f847b7a7d7905ec3285a7bb47950a195 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork