Former Filipino congressman accused of masterminding a governor’s murder is arrested in East Timor

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A former Filipino congressman accused of masterminding the brazen killings of a provincial governor and several others has been arrested in East Timor and will be deported to the Philippines, Manila officials said Friday.

Police arrested Arnolfo Teves Jr. while he was playing at a golf driving range Thursday in East Timor’s capital of Dili, where he has tried to seek asylum, the Philippine Department of Justice said. His arrest had been sought through an Interpol red notice asking police worldwide to locate and apprehend him.

Teves is facing murder charges in connection with the killings of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and eight other people, including some seeking aid at his home in Pamplona town in March last year. At least 17 others, including a doctor and two army soldiers, were wounded in the attack, police said then.

At least six men armed with assault rifles and wearing military camouflage and bullet-resistant vests walked calmly into Degamo’s residential compound and opened fire in an attack that was captured on security cameras. The shooters fled in three SUVs and authorities later announced the capture of a number of suspects.

Teves denied any involvement in the killing of Degamo and the other victims and said without elaborating that he was set up.

The killings refocused attention on the country’s bloody political conflicts, which have been exacerbated by the existence of private armies and large numbers of illegal firearms especially in the countryside.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said then that the attack on Degamo, who backed his presidential candidacy, was “purely political” and “does not belong in the society.”

The apprehension of Teves “is a testament to the power of