No evidence linking Jordanian to blast

There is still no solid evidence linking a Jordanian who was arrested on Monday in Manila for overstaying to the bomb attack last week that killed an American soldier and three Filipinos, a military intelligence official told Gulf News.

"So far, there has been no link between Mohammed Al Ghaffari and the bomb blast in Zamboanga City. Neither has there been any proof of his ties with international militant groups, particularly Hamas," the officer from the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp), said on condition of anonymity.

Reports said Al Ghaffari, 36, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, is being questioned by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) about his involvement in the bomb explosion near a bar in Zamboanga City's Malagutay district on October 2 that killed American serviceman Mark Jackson and three residents.

The attack had been attributed by the military to the local extremist group, Abu Sayyaf, that is believed to have ties to international militant organisations.

News reports quoting "intelligence" sources said Al Ghaffari is a close friend of Mohammed Khalifa, a brother-in-law of Osama bin Laden.

Khalifa allegedly used a network of private groups, foundations and businesses in the country to covertly funnel support to the Abu Sayyaf.

But the Isafp officer said these reports are all "hearsay and assumptions". "We have yet to find proof if these reports are true," he said, adding that the local press, the police and even the BI has a tendency to tie an arrested foreigner to terrorist groups.

Karen Kelly, spokesperson for the U.S. embassy in Manila, said that if it is proven that Al Ghaffari is connected to militant groups such as Hamas, it is likely that the United States will seek his custody.

Meanwhile, Al Ghaffari's lawyer, Jose Lorena, slammed the government for linking his client to terrorist groups without evidence. "We are very wary, this is coming as a different case when his supposed violation concerns immigration laws. He should not be convicted by publicity. I think the allegations are still unfounded until appropriate evidence is produced and a case is filed against him."

A doctor and director of the Islamic Wisdom Worldwide Mission, a non-government organisation, Al Ghaffari surrendered on Monday night to immigration agents who raided his house in Manila's suburban upscale residential district of Green Hills.

Lorena said that Al Ghaffari was held for staying in the Philippines longer than permitted and for holding what the BI described as "tampered" travel documents.

"On the record the case in the immigration is only on the deportation case. I don't know why newspapers are saying he was arrested for his links to terrorists. These allegations should be proven in courts," Lorena said in an interview the RMN radio station.

Lorena noted that Al Ghaffari has appealed for an extension of his visa that the Bureau of Immigration has yet to resolve.