DI-Maute group supplier nabbed

Police Regional Office 10 (PRO10) announced the arrest of a suspected logistics provider for the Daulah Islamiyah-Maute Group during a joint law enforcement operation Thursday in Baloi, Lanao del Norte.

The suspect, identified only by the alias “Lucky 9,” was apprehended in Barangay Angandog on 6 November 2025. The 56-year-old resident of Baloi was arrested based on three outstanding warrants: one for Kidnapping for Ransom (no bail recommended), one for Frustrated Murder (P200,000 bail recommended), and one for Violation of R.A. 10591 (the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act, no bail recommended).

According to PRO10, “Lucky 9” was a former leader of a Kidnap-for-Ransom Group before shifting his allegiance to the DI-Maute Group. As a logistics provider, he was allegedly responsible for procuring firearms, medicine and food supplies to sustain the terrorist group’s operations across Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and neighboring provinces.

Authorities also linked the suspect to several high-profile kidnapping incidents in 2013 and 2014, and he was listed as a Most Wanted Person by the Anti-Kidnapping Group.

During the arrest, police recovered an M14 rifle, six 7.62mm magazines with 125 rounds of live ammunition, an M1911 .45-caliber pistol, a Baofeng handheld radio and other items used to support the group’s armed activities.

Police Brig. Gen. Christopher N. Abrahano, PRO-10 acting regional director, said that the arrest of “Lucky 9” marks a significant operational breakthrough.

Abrahano stressed that the apprehension is expected to cripple the logistical and recruitment networks of the Daulah Islamiyah-Maute Group in Northern Mindanao and surrounding provinces.

The suspect is currently in the custody of the Baloi Municipal Police Station for documentation and proper disposition.