COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Authorities arrested in Iligan City the last known suspect in the December 2023 bombing at Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City, police confirmed on Sunday, October 20.
The suspect, Arsani Mimbesa, also known as Lapitos and Khatab, has been identified as a key member of the ISIS-inspired Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group, an extremist organization that figured in the 2017 Marawi siege.
Mimbesa is the last identified suspect in the bombing that killed four people and hurt several dozen others during a Catholic Mass inside MSU’s Dimaporo Gymnasium in predominantly Muslim Marawi City in late 2023.
He faces charges for violating the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
Authorities arrested Mimbesa during a joint police and military operation in Barangay Maria Cristina, Iligan City, on October 16.
The Philippine National Police in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PNP-BARMM) said they delayed the announcement of his arrest to validate certain information.
Authorities said an improvised explosive device (IED) was placed in the middle of the MSU gymnasium by Mimbesa and an accomplice, Khadafi Mimbesa, also known as “Engineer.” Khadafi, the alleged mastermind of the bombing, was killed during a military operation in Lanao del Sur in January.
The bombing, later claimed by Islamic State militants, has been linked to government efforts to dismantle the Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group, responsible for a series of violent attacks in the Bangsamoro region.
The suspect was apprehended by a team composed of local police, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), who carried out the operation under the code name “Oplan Pagtutugis.”
Three days after the MSU bombing, authorities arrested a suspect identified as Jafar Gamo Sultan, who allegedly served as an accomplice to the Mimbesas.
In January, the military reported that troops killed nine suspected militants with links to the 2023 bombing in the village of Tapurog, Piagapo town, Lanao del Sur. Arsani Mimbesa was initially believed to have been killed in the operation, along with Khadafi. – Rappler.com