A Palestinian suspected of training Abu Sayyaf group members was arrested in the southern city of Zamboanga over the weekend, a local TV reported Thursday.

According to the ABS-CBN news channel, the military and police jointly arrested the suspect, identified as Fawaz Zi Ajjur, who isan alleged al-Qaeda member.

Bureau of Immigration and Deportation Commissioner Alipio Fernandez told the TV that Ajjur was seized by the immigration agents when he arrived at the Zamboanga airport by a South-PacificAirways flight from Malaysia.

According to the visa record, Ajjur has been in Russia, Thailand, Malaysia before returning to the Philippines, Fernandez said.

The TV report said that captured Abu Sayyaf members identified Ajjur as one of the militants who trained them in bomb-making in Patikul, Jolo, which he denied.

Philippine authorities said that the suspect has links with the Abu Sayyaf militants and has possibly been involved in plotting terror attacks in the country.

The Abu Sayyaf, which was notorious for kidnap-for-ransom crimes, has been also blamed for deadly attacks, including the bombing of a Super Ferry ship that killed 118 people in 2004 and the Valentine's day bombings in February.

Source: Xinhua