DOJ begins probe into role of Karen Aizha Hamidon in helping Marawi terrorists

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Friday began a preliminary investigation into allegations that Karen Aizha Hamidon used social media to recruit foreign fighters for the Maute terrorist group in Marawi City.

Hamidon was present at a hearing called for by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong.

She is facing a complaint of rebellion or inciting to rebellion in relation to Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 (Republic Act 10175) filed by the National Bureau of Investigation Counter Terrorism Division.
 

DOJ begins preliminary probe on criminal complaint vs 36-year-old woman accused of recruiting foreign fighters for Maute group. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/8C9opXPxxM

— Virgil Lopez (@virgillopez) November 3, 2017

Represented by lawyer Maria Elisa Jonalyn Barquez of the Public Attorney’s Office, Hamidon denied allegations that she helped disseminate radical Islamic propaganda and encouraged foreign Muslims to join the battle against government troops in Marawi.

 “I have nothing to do with all those accusations. I have nothing to do with that. I strongly deny all the false accusations hurled against me,” Hamidon said.

But the NBI insisted she has ties to terror groups, and shared an audio clip of Hamidon pledging allegiance to ISIS.

She admitted she was the wife of the late Mohammad Jaafar Maguid, also known as Tokboy and Abu Sharifa, the former leader of the Ansar Khalifa Philippines, the group supposedly responsible for the deadly night market attack in Davao City in September 2016.

Hamidon did not deny that she is also the former wife of Muhammad Shamin Mohammed Sidek, a Singapore national who was detained for his links with the terror group ISIS.

The NBI said it discovered that on the day she was arrested at her residence in Taguig City last month, Hamidon posted a message on social media app Telegram seeking local and foreign Muslims to help Maute terrorists fight government troops in Marawi.

On October 23, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana declared the siege of Marawi was finally over after five months of intensive fighting.

Hamidon is scheduled to file her counter-affidavit on November 10. — VDS, GMA News