KOTA KINABALU: Police pursued a suspect in the Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu intrusion in February last year, to a swamp in Semporna, the High Court here heard yesterday.
Bukit Aman Special Branch (SB) officer Inspector Mohd Mokhsin Mohd Sidit said he was informed on March 23 last year, that Datu Amir Bahar Hushin Kiram had been arrested that morning at about 1.30 am.
According to the witness, he was part of a surveillance team in an operation to track down suspects linked to the intrusion.
He said the team turned their surveillance to a house near a swamp at Kampung Sri Melor in Bugaya, Semporna, following the arrest of a suspect, Norhaida Ibnahi there around 11 am on March 22 last year.
“After Norhaida was arrested, my team and I were instructed to continue with surveillance surrounding the house because another target, Datu Amir Bahar was also believed to be in the area,” he said.
He said around 5 pm that day, the team spotted a man going up the verandah of the house and taking several pieces of clothing before coming down and running towards the swamp at the back of the house.
Answering deputy public prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar, the witness said he took photographs of the man and tried to shadow him, but decided against it for safety concerns.
“I showed the photographs to operations coordinating officer ASP Wan Kamal Rizal, who was also in the operations area, and he confirmed that the man was Datu Amir Bahar,” he said.
Mohd Mokhsin said he and his team left the operations area that midnight, while police personnel from the Special Actions Unit stayed behind.
Earlier, the witness said the team had also tracked down other suspects in Semporna.
“Tani Lahaddahi was arrested at a house at Kampung Perigi between 8 am and 9 am on March 10, 2013, while Abdul Majil Jubin and Basil Samiul, in a white Perodua Viva vehicle at Jalan Lihak-Lihak on March 13 morning, 2013.
“Abdul Hadi Mawan was arrested at a house at Taman Keilah at about 7 pm on March 14, 2013,” he said.
The suspects including Norhaida and Datu Amir Bahar are among the accused in the trial heard before Justice Stephen Chung.
Mohd Mokhsin said he was able to identify all the six accused present in court based on his photographs and video recordings, and whose identities were confirmed by Wan Kamal. In the dock are 27 Filipinos and three local residents, some of whom are facing multiple charges.
They are accused of being members of a terrorist group or waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or recruiting members for a terrorist group or willfully harbouring individuals they knew to be members of a terrorist group.
They allegedly committed the offences between Feb 12 and April 10, 2013.
The hearing continues today at the Sabah Prisons Department. — Bernama