A Muslim convert under investigation by police in Australia for supporting terrorism and fighters in Syria and Iraq was arrested in the Philippines on Friday, police said.
Robert Edward Cerantonio, also known as Sheik Musa, was apprehended for being an undocumented foreigner in the Philippines because his passport has been cancelled and his visa expired, Senior Superintendent Conrad Capa said.
Cerantonio is a “jihadist preacher”, who has been using social media websites to call for jihad and to encourage Muslim combatants to fight in Syria and Iraq, said Mr. Capa.
“We are still determining if he has links with local terrorist groups,” he said.
Cerantonio was arrested in an apartment in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu province, said Senior Superintendent Armando Radoc, the city police chief.
He was arrested with a Filipino female companion, but no weapons were seized from him, Mr. Radoc said.
The suspect was taken by immigration officers to process his deportation before handing him over to Australian Federal Police, he said.
