Photos of the wanted Maute clan members were distributed to the public by police following the terrorist attack in Marawi City. PNP handout photo
LANAO DEL SUR (UPDATED) - The mother of the Maute terrorist leaders behind the attack on Marawi City was arrested Friday afternoon in Masiu, Lanao del Sur, police said.
Ominta Romato "Farhana" Maute and 2 other injured Maute group members were arrested after their vehicle was intercepted in Brgy. Kormatan, Masiu town, ARMM Regional Police Director Reuben Theodore Sindac said.
Seven other unidentified women in their group were arrested, police said.
Authorities recovered high powered firearms and improvised explosive devices from the suspects.
Photos acquired by ABS-CBN News showed the firearms, explosives, as well as bundles of cash seized from the suspects.
Police have yet to identify the companions of the Maute matriarch, including the two men who have unspecified injuries.
Police said the Maute matriarch's group tried to hide in Brgy. Dayawan, Masiu, where they brought a vehicle and guns before they tried to leave Lanao del Sur.
The Maute matriarch is believed to be the financier of the Maute group, the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said after a raid in her Marawi compound in December that yielded explosives.
The Maute brothers’ father, Cayamora Maute, was apprehended Tuesday morning at a checkpoint in Sirawan, Toril, Davao City.
Cayamora and Farhana are the parents of brothers Omar and Abdullah who are leading the terrorist group holed up in Marawi City.
Cayamora Maute was transferred to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, Thursday. - with reports from Henry Atuelan and Chiara Zambrano, ABS-CBN News
Maute, Marawi, Mindanao, Farhana Maute, Cayamora Maute, terrorism, Lanao del Sur