MANILA – The Department of Justice has filed rebellion charges against members of the Maute family and other key players in the Marawi siege, which enters its fifth week on Friday.
The prosecution added names to the amended information that it filed with the Cagayan de Oro Regional Trial Court.
Besides Farhana Maute, mother of brothers Omarkhayam and Abdullah who have been leading an initial force of 500 that laid siege to Marawi on May 23, the prosecution had earlier charged former Marawi city mayor Fahad Salic.
In the second amended information, the prosecution added the 22-year-old Mohammad Maute, tagged as a trained bomber and youngest of the Maute brothers.
Also charged were three people linked to the Mautes who were arrested last weekend at Iloilo port.
They are Aljajid Pangumping Romato, 20, of Sabayle, Iligan City; his sister Farida Pangumping Romato, 23, of Carmen, Cagayan de Oro; and Abdulrahman Serd Dimakutah, 25, of Lanao del Sur and lover of Farida.
All are under tight security.
The respondents are accused of conspiring with the Maute Group to sow terrorism and chaos in Marawi, a progressive Islamic city of 200,000 where Muslims and Christians have co-existed for decades.
The Maute Group had planned to set up a province of the Islamic State, which is on the retreat in the Middle East, according to the government.
The suspects were also arrested with high-caliber firearms and explosives apparently intended for the terror campaigns.
The rebellion charges were filed after inquest proceedings in Cagayan de Oro City.