MANILA: A 60-year-old Iraqi national, described as a “bomb expert, was arrested by the police in Pampanga province in Central Luzon for overstaying and for his alleged involvement in an extremist group in the Middle East.

Ironically, Director General Ronald dela Rosa, the chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), revealed the arrest of Taha Mohamed Al-Jabouri was based information from the Iraqi embassy in Manila.

Dela Rosa said the Iraqi embassy provided the PNP with the physical description and photographs used by the police in arresting Al-Jabouri in a village in Angeles City, Pampanga on Saturday night.

De La Rosa quoted the Iraqi embassy as describing Al-Jabouri as “known for his close ties with a militant extremist group in the Middle East.”

Al-Jabouri, who was toting a backpack that yielded personal effects as well as several foreign currencies, did not resist when arrested by the police, according to Dela Rosa.

He added that during police questioning, Al-Jabouri admitted he was a chemist and that he worked as a “consultant” for an extremist group in the Middle East.

Records from the Bureau of Immigration showed that Al-Jabouri arrived in the Philippines from Istanbul, Turkey in August 2017 at the height of the Asean summit meeting hosted by Manila.

Asean stands for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asia Nations composed of the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.