Homeland Security

Manila Offers Reward for Escaped Terrorist
VOA News
15 Jul 2003, 05:01 UTC

The Philippine government is offering a large reward for information leading to the recapture of a key member of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network, who escaped from jail Monday.

Manila announced Tuesday that it will pay more than $93,000 for information leading to Indonesian Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, a confessed Jemaah Islamiyah member. He escaped from a high-security prison in Manila early Monday, apparently with the assistance of his guards.

He was accompanied by two Philippine prisoners who are believed to be members of the radical Islamic Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang. Both groups have been linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

Al-Ghozi, who is an expert bomb-maker, was serving a 17-year term for illegal possession of explosives and falsifying travel documents. He is one of the most senior Jemaah Islamiyah figures ever to be caught by law enforcement agencies, and his escape was an embarrassment for Philippine President Gloria Arroyo as she hosted Australia's prime minister to discuss anti-terror initiatives. Ms. Arroyo immediately fired the three guards who were assigned to look after the prisoners.

Al-Ghozi was to be arraigned next Monday on new terrorism charges. He also is under indictment for a December 2000 bombing on a passenger train, one of several attacks in which 22 people were killed on the same day.

Philippine national police chief Hermogenes Ebdane says a special team has been formed to track down the three escapees.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.