Philippines arrests Indonesian wife of slain Marawi militant

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Philippine security forces have arrested the Indonesian wife of an Islamic militant who helped plan and lead the assault on the southern Philippine city of Marawi, Indonesian police said Monday.

National police spokesman Setyo Wasisto said Minhati Madrais was captured with her six children — four girls and two boys — in Iligan city north of Marawi on Sunday. He said bomb-making materials such as detonators were also seized.

Her husband, Omarkhayam Maute, was one of hundreds of militants killed by Philippine forces as they battled to regain control of the city.

The Philippine government declared in late October that the five-month siege which killed more than 1,100 people was over.

Wasisto said that Indonesian counter-terror police plan to interview Madrais in the Philippines.

Madrais, 36, is from Bekasi, a West Java town just east of Jakarta, and went to the Philippines in 2015, according to police.

Wasisto said any Indonesian citizen involved in a legal case abroad has a right to assistance from the government.

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This story has been corrected to show that police spokesman has two names.