Top Militant Leader Is Arrested in Philippines - NYTimes.comTop Militant Leader Is Arrested in Philippines - NYTimes.comMain MenuMain MenuType Size:AAANight Mode:DisableEnableAccount:SubscribeLog inThe New York TimesInternational New York TimesSearchGoShareTweetMoreSubscribeSubscribeMy accountLog inWorldTop Militant Leader Is Arrested in PhilippinesShareBy FLOYD WHALEYJune 11, 2014HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam —  The Philippines captured a top leader of a militant group on Wednesday who the United States says funneled money from Al Qaeda to Filipino rebels blamed for more than a decade of bombings, beheadings and kidnappings in the southern part of the country.Khair Mundos, 50, a leader of Abu Sayyaf, was arrested on Wednesday morning at his in-laws’ house in a densely populated section of southern Manila, according to a statement from the police. The police had the house under surveillance for two months before the arrest.The United States has been helping in the fight against Abu Sayyaf for years, with a contingent of about 500 United States special forces troops stationed in the southern Philippines after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. In the past decade, the number of Abu Sayyaf fighters has dwindled to fewer than 400, and the group has focused on kidnapping-for-ransom operations in pursuit of profit rather than ideology, according to Pacific Strategies and Assessments, a risk assessment group based in Manila.Khair Mundos, 50, a leader of Abu Sayyaf, was arrested in Manila.Philippines National Police / Agence France-Presse — Getty Images“The Abu Sayyaf group has largely degenerated into a mostly criminally oriented group,” the risk assessment group stated in a recent report.Mr. Mundos was arrested in May 2004, but he escaped from a provincial jail in 2007. His original conviction was for money laundering, related to arranging the transfer of the Qaeda funds.“Mundos confessed to having arranged the transfer of funds from Al Qaeda to Abu Sayyaf group leader Khadaffy Janjalani to be used in bombings and other criminal acts throughout the island of Mindanao,” according to a 2009 statement by the United States government in which a reward of up to $500,000 for information about him was offered. The statement added that Abu Sayyaf attacks had led to the deaths of citizens of the United States and the Philippines.In the Philippines, Mr. Mundos was wanted on multiple murder charges, the police said in their statement on Wednesday.Abu Sayyaf is one of the smallest yet most active militant groups in the southern Philippines. In the 1990s, the group was estimated to have as many as 1,000 fighters, and it staged some of the most high-profile kidnappings, bombings and other attacks in the country.In April 2000, the group kidnapped 11 Western tourists and 11 resort workers from a resort in Sipadan, Malaysia, and in May 2001, the group kidnapped 24 tourists from a beach resort on the Philippine island of Palawan.ShareSaveShow Full Article                            xSharexEmailTwitterRedditGooglePermalinkhttp://nyti.ms/SOwqOuToolsSaveMore In WorldArgentine President Now Says Prosecutor’s Death Was Not a SuicidePresident Cristina Fernández de Kirchner said she believed that the lead investigator of the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center did not commit suicide.U.S. and Cuba Set to Discuss Diplomatic TiesThe nations on Wednesday discussed migration, and a meeting on Thursday will cover matters like reopening embassies.Citing Falling Oil Prices, Iraq Seeks Arms on Credit to Fight ISIS4:36 PM ETPrime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the precipitous drop in prices posed a fresh challenge to his military’s efforts to push back Islamic State militants.Back to topMain MenuHomeHomeWorldU.S.U.S. NewsPoliticsU.S. PoliticsThe UpshotNew YorkBusinessBusinessBusiness DayTechnologySportsSportsOpinionOpinionScienceHealthArtsArtsStyleStylePhotosVideoMost EmailedTimes PremierMore SectionsAutomobilesBlogsBooksFoodFoodFoodEducationHome & GardenMagazineMoviesMusicMedia & AdvertisingObituariesPublic EditorGreat Homes and DestinationsReal EstateSunday ReviewT MagazineTelevisionTheaterTimes WireTravelWeddingsCorrectionsRecommendationsSavedSettingsEdition:Type Size:AAANight Mode:DisableEnableAccount:SubscribeLog inDownload Our AppsNYTimesNYT NowDownload the NYTimes appHelpSubscribeFeedbackTerms of ServicePrivacy© 2015 The New York Times Company