Does Muslim Militant Killed in Philippines Have Belize Link?
An Islamic militant killed in the Philippines last week may have family ties in Belize and tonight there are more questions than answers in this case. The story has been widely reported in the Philippines, but mostly went under the radar in Belize; that is, until today. Abu Naila, believed to be a Belizean national born Nadir Ali Ahmad, was killed during a shootout with police in the town of Maasim in southern Philippines on January seventh. Naila, a radical supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIL, also known by the Arabic acronym Daesh, was engaged in a firefight with authorities after resisting arrest. During the gun battle, he attempted to lob a grenade at the officers when he was mortally injured along with a female companion, identified as Kadija. Following the deadly encounter, a cache of explosives, including hand thrown and rocket propelled grenades, were recovered from the fallen militant, who is believed to have been training in Philippines to proceed to Syria. While authorities did not disclose Naila’s citizenship, the Ahmad family here in Belize is aware of the claim that the deceased extremist is indeed their estranged sibling. News Five reached out to members of the family earlier today, but they would not confirm the assertion. We are informed, however, that the family has not been in contact with Nadir Ali Ahmad since he left the country almost two years ago. In June 2016, the Ahmad’s residence in Hattieville was raided by a team of police officers attached to the Special Branch. That operation was green lighted by Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie who declined to comment on the objective of the swoop. It is unclear whether that predawn raid had anything to do with the alleged radical and the speculation at the time was that it was triggered by the U.S. Embassy. For context, we revisit a press conference with ComPol Whylie in the days after the roundup.
Allen Whylie
Allen Whylie, Commissioner of Police [File: June 28th, 2016]
“I won’t go into where the information came from. As Mr. Vidal said we had some information and we’ve been working on it over a period of time. It was felt that it was prudent to move forward in terms of the searches and that’s what was done.”
Reporter
“Would you be able to say if it was an internal or external source?”
Allen Whylie
“I don’t know what that would impact. All work that was done was done by the Belize Police Department. That is immaterial. We are the ones who executed.”
Marco Vidal
Marco Vidal, Head, Special Branch [File: June 28th, 2016]
“The warrant was specific in terms of the items that we could seize. We could not go outside of that. So it included electronic devices and paper documents that would have told us the kind of evidence that we would require in investigating the offence of Conspiracy to Commit Damage to Property and Conspiracy to Commit Murder.”
Reporter
“About the electronic devices…another allegation that has surfaced is that those devices were held at the US Embassy. Would you be able to confirm or deny those allegations?”
Marco Vidal
“As I’ve said this is a solely Belize Police operation. It is the Police that obtained the warrant and had to produce reasonable cause, it is the Police that executed the search, it is the Police that detained and took the persons to the Station and the properties were kept in the custody of the Belize Police Department.”
Reporter
“Was the search…did the search, since you’ve been investigating for several months based on information that we have received – was the search helpful? Will the nation see arrests and charges in the near future as a direct result of the action the Police took?”
Marco Vidal
“Well it is difficult to say at this time when the investigation will conclude. We are hoping that in a couple of weeks we will be able to wrap up. From there a determination will be made as to the way forward.”
