Philippines arrests al-Qaeda suspect

The suspect has lived in the Philippines for five years

A Jordanian man suspected of belonging to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network has been arrested in the Philippines, according to police sources.

Haji Yousef Alghoul, who has lived in the Philippines for five years and is married to a Filipina, was arrested in Thursday in Balanga City, 35 miles west of the capital Manila, after a three month surveillance operation aided by US intelligence agents.

"Initial reports indicate that he is a member of the al-Qaeda group," a police official told news agency Agence France Presse.

Among the items recovered from the 35-year-old man's house were 281 sticks of dynamite hidden in the ceiling, wiring, mobile phones and a poem declaring holy war against America.

Security fears

The arrest comes amid tightened security in the Philippines following the 11 September attacks.

Ms Arroyo is a firm supporter of America's war against terror

Last week a home-made bomb was found and defused opposite the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Last month two Palestinians and another Jordanian were arrested inside the country on suspicion of having links to terror groups.

And in December 2000, several people were killed in a series of bombings in Manila blamed by the government on militant Muslim groups.

The US has listed the Abu Sayyaf group, a Muslim guerrilla group currently holding two Americans and a Filipina hostage in the south of the country, as having suspected links to al-Qaeda.

Philippines president Gloria Arroyo has been a staunch supporter of US President George W Bush's war against terror, and her government in return has received valuable military aid.