MANILA, Philippines–The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Field Office in Los Angeles, California, officially confirmed to INQUIRER.net on Wednesday night that the DNA sample provided to them by the Philippine National Police (PNP) is that of Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Abdhir, also known as Marwan.

“Preliminary results indicate that the DNA profiles obtained from the biological sample indicate a possible relationship with a known relative of Zulkifli Abdhir aka Marwan,” David Bowdich, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, told INQUIRER.net in an e-mailed statement.

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“Although the results of the DNA examinations do not provide absolute identification, the results do support that the biological sample provided by Philippine authorities came from Marwan,” he said.

The FBI had already reported their finding to Philippine law enforcement authorities, he said.

“Further testing and analysis will be conducted by laboratory examiners in an effort to fully identify the subject of DNA provided to the FBI,” Bowdich added.

The examination on Marwan’s DNA sample was conducted in Singapore and was completed last Saturday.

Earlier reports said the FBI confirmed that they had received Marwan’s DNA sample.

Marwan was killed in a PNP Special Action Force operation last January 25 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

He had a $6 million bounty on his head.

Members of the SAF Seaborne, the US-trained police commandos of the Philippine National Police (PNP), killed Marwan in a surgical operation they launched on Jan. 25 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The operation ended in tragedy when 44 policemen were ambushed by combined forces of Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters following the operation.

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The FBI said that Marwan’s case “is one of many investigations we have conducted in cooperation with our Philippine counterparts.”

“We express our deepest condolences to the brave officers of the Special Action Force, who lost their lives while attempting to apprehend a dangerous fugitive. Our partnership with the Philippine National Police is among the strongest in the world, and we will continue to work in close cooperation to identify, disrupt and dismantle terrorist networks,” Bowdich said.

The police commanders led by relieved SAF Director Getulio Napenas bypassed the ceasefire mechanisms agreed by the government and the MILF.

Napenas had said he did not trust the MILF and the Army, which was why he kept the operation secret.

He had admitted, however, that he was reporting to PNP Director General Alan Purisima, who is serving a suspension order from the Ombudsman stemming from corruption allegations.

Even Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and PNP officer in charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina were kept out of the loop.–With reports from Aries Joseph Hegina and Nikko Dizon

More details in Thursday’s Philippine Daily Inquirer in print and on Inquirer Plus for tablets and smartphones: http://inq.ph/inqplus

Originally posted: 6:58 PM | Wednesday, February 4th, 2015

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