The Anti-Terrorism Council of the Philippines announced on Thursday the arrest in Barangay Pasil, Indanan, Sulu of a woman tagged by the United States as a global terrorist.
Myrna Mabanza, 32, was served a warrant of arrest by joint elements of the police, military, Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
Aside from being a “US specially designated global terrorist,” Mabanza was also on the United Nations Security Council’s list of wanted persons from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the Daesh and al-Qaeda.
Mabanza has standing arrest warrants for five counts of violation of Republic Act 10168, or the Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012, and RA 11479, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, under Criminal Case Numbers 53502, 53503, 53504, 53506 and 53507, all issued on 20 December last year in Zamboanga City.
No bail was recommended in all of the criminal cases.
The ATC said Mabanza was involved in the transfer of funds with the leader of IS, the late Isnilon Hapilon. She also allegedly served as an intermediary between Hapilon and Daesh elements in Syria.
