Pirate Leader Arrested in Philippines

Authorities in the Philippines have arrested the alleged leader of a gang of pirates who hijacked the tanker Rehobot earlier this year.

Indonesian and Filipino police cooperated in apprehending the alleged pirate leader, Danilo Sorote Wangkanusa. On the morning of November 11, when they served a warrant at Mr. Wangkanusa's rental house in Davao City, Mindanao, he attempted to escape by leaping from a second story window. Authorities captured him shortly thereafter.

A spokesperson for the police said that Mr. Wangkanusa had been in hiding in Davao City since February.

Once Mr. Wangkanusa's papers are processed, authorities say he will be deported to Indonesia to face trial, as the alleged offense occurred in Indonesian waters. He was one of Indonesia's most wanted fugitives. Police officials said that they are checking his background to determine whether he has any connection to terrorist groups.

A group of half a dozen pirates hijacked the Rehobot on January 28. Initial reports said that eight masked men with knives had boarded the Rehobot from a wooden boat, and forced her crew of 14 onto a lifeboat.

Four individuals accused of being involved in the attack were arrrested in Indonesia in February.

On February 19, the tanker was found abandoned, aground on a mud bottom near Davao City, about 400 nautical miles from the area where the vessel was reportedly captured.

The vessel had 1,100 tons of diesel on board before the hijacking, and authorities believe that the fuel was transferred to another ship before the Rehobot was abandoned.

Media reports indicate that there were no calls for ransom of crew or claims of responsibility by any organization.

Coast Guard authorities on Mindanao are in discussions with the Indonesian consul and with a private salvage firm about the disposition of the Rehobot.

The vessel has not been recovered by its owner or its insurer, and authorities report that residents nearby have been involved in looting the vessel since its abandonment. If it is not claimed, it will likely be scrapped or sold.

"Though the vessel is free from oil spill, I will have to talk again with the Indonesian consul and [salvage firm] Harbor Star for the scrapping of the vessel," Commodore Joselito F. dela Cruz of the Philippine Coast Guard said.

Southeast Asian waters have long been notorious for piracy, and 2015 has been no exception. The ICC's International Maritime Bureau reported an average of one pirate attack every two weeks in Southeast Asia in the first half of the year.