ONE of the suspects behind the encounter in Mamasapano in Maguindanao that killed 44 elite policemen in 2015 was arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Cotabato City over the weekend, two years after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), led by the Cotabato City police, arrested Tamano Esmail Sabpa or Tamano Sabpa Esmael on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the parking area of a regional hospital in Cotabato City, a police report said.