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Philippines to deport Hamas-linked explosives expert to Iraq

An Iraqi national who aided Hamas has been arrested in the Philippines and is now facing deportation. 

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

The Philippine National Police (PNP) announced that it has arrested an explosives expert with ties to Middle Eastern terror groups, and is deporting him from the country.  ‎‏

PNP Chief Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa held a media briefing on Monday after the PNP took into custody a 64-year old Iraqi national named Taha Mohammed al-Jabouri, who came to the country in August and has since evaded the authorities.

Al-Jabouri was arrested after the Iraqi Embassy in Manila alerted the Philippine intelligence community of his presence. The Iraqi Embassy described Al-Jabouri as a chemist with knowledge of explosives who is known to have “close ties” with terror groups in the Middle East.

Al-Jabouri was arrested on Sunday after police acted on a tip received through the Barangay Information Network (BIN) of the presence of a suspicious-looking person with Middle Eastern features, fitting the description and photographs provided by the Iraqi Embassy, in Barangay. He was arrested “toting a large black luggage,” the PNP stated.

Based on the travel documents, PNP investigators found that al-Jabouri’s 90-day Visa was valid only until November and had expired.

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During questioning, al-Jabouri revealed that he served as a consultant for the Hamas terror organization in Syria and moved to Turkey in 2012.

He claimed he was in the Philippines to meet a Chinese business group that hired him as a consultant. However, the police said the reason for al-Jabouri’s presence in the country is yet unknown.

“He’s an illegal alien, his visa is expired so he has to be deported right away,” Dela Rosa said, according to JNS.org.

Al-Jabouri’ “admitted being a member of Hamas. He’s a chemist and he has been responsible for improving the rocket technology of Hamas in firing their missiles from their area towards the other side, Israel,” said Dela Rosa

The PNP is working to have al-Jabouri deported to Iraq.