(Eagle News) — The Bureau of Immigration has said it would initiate deportation proceedings against a suspected Pakistani bomb maker who was recently arrested for possession of guns and explosives.
But Immigration chief Jaime Morente said despite Haroon Bashir’s summary deportation proceedings, he will not be deported yet as he is facing the criminal charges.
The charges stem from a raid conducted by operatives armed with a search warrant, and who found a caliber .45 pistol and two improvised explosive devices (IED) from his house in San Jose, Puerto Princesa, Palawan on Aug. 6.
According to the bureau, Bashir is also being investigated for his possible involvement with local terrorist groups, based on reports from the regional office of the Philippine National Police in MIMAROPA Region.
“It is only after he has served his sentence that we can deport him,” the immigration chief said.
According to Morente, based on Bashir’s travel records, he arrived in the Philippines on April 28 2013, and never left the country since then.
That means, Morente said, that the suspect had been overstaying for more than seven years.
Morente said Bashir also failed to present his passport or any travel document, which means he is also an undocumented alien.