A British man has been arrested in the Philippines after police said they had found five handguns, live ammunition and other weapons including combat knives and a stun gun in his possession.
Matthew George Marney was photographed in custody wearing an orange T-shirt bearing the acronym for the criminal investigation and detection group (CIDG), the primary investigation arm of the Philippine police force.
Officers were filmed by local media examining the pistols, which had been kept in foam-lined boxes. Large, sheathed combat knives were also on the table.
Marney, 38, was arrested on Thursday with Filipino Romel Mañas Castillo in Pasig, a city within the Metro Manila area, CIDG said in a statement.
Authorities have confiscated from the 2 suspects 5 units of caliber 45 w/ 5 magazines, 25 pcs of live ammunition and 4 boxes of caliber 45 blank ammunition. @ABSCBNNews @ANCALERTS @DZMMTeleRadyo pic.twitter.com/IPmekg9yys
— Maan Macapagal (@maan_macapagal) November 24, 2017
The pair were caught by the agency’s anti-transnational-crime unit, which worked with a search warrant, the CIDG statement said. It added officers had found five .45 calibre pistols with 25 bullets, 14 bladed weapons, five brass knuckles, one slingshot, one stun gun, as well as a pistol cleaning kit and holsters.
Inquest proceedings were filed on Friday at the Pasig City prosecutors’ office, the statement said.
British natl Matthew Marney arrested by PNP-CIDG for illegal possession of guns, ammo, other deadly weapons | @jiandradeINQ
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) November 24, 2017
pic.twitter.com/cmYPhDzg9I
Roque Merdegia, the CIDG anti-transnational-crime unit’s chief police superintendent, told the Guardian the unit had received information from a tipster who reported seeing armed men in Marney’s residence. Authorities conducted surveillance and confirmed that Marney did not have a licence to carry firearms in the country.
“We were surprised to discover five short firearms. That’s not normal,” Merdegia said.
Merdegia said it was a “priority” case and the police would be communicating with the local British embassy to check if Marney had a criminal record.
The arrest was part of a police campaign to recover loose firearms amid fears of another terrorist attack in the country following a five-month battle with armed groups linked with Islamic State in the southern Philippines.
“Right now, considering that there is martial law in Mindanao, it is quite alarming to arrest a foreign individual with a lot of firearms,” said Merdegia.
On LinkedIn, a profile for a man called Matthew George Marney said he had moved to Manila in June 2015 to help “over 2,500 Middle Eastern investors to purchase off-plan property in Manila as well as over 50 others to set up businesses in the best locations”.
The Guardian could not independently confirm if the profile belonged to the same person, although it was the only searchable page sharing his full name.
CIDG-Anti Transnational Crime Unit arrests British national Matthew George Marney and Filipino Romel Mañas Castillo in Valle Verde, Pasig for violation of firearms law | via @maan_macapagal pic.twitter.com/9NPz7plZQD
— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) November 24, 2017
The Guardian has contacted the UK Foreign Office for comment.
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Carmela Fonbuena is a senior reporter at Rappler.com.
