ackground[edit]

Omar and Abdullah Maute are siblings. They are descended from a Maranao warrior clan based
in Butig, Lanao del Sur. The brothers had worked in the Middle East as Overseas Filipino Workers.
While working for secular schools in Syria and the United Arab Emirates, the brothers
studied Islamic theology.[1] Omar reportedly was educated in Egypt while Abdullah studied
in Jordan.[2]
Philippine military sources state that the siblings' father, Cayamora Maute, was a senior official of
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). After the MILF began to engage in peace negotiations with
the Philippine government, the brothers criticized the MILF leadership and pledged allegiance
to ISIS.[3]
The Mautes, according to their relatives, later established connections with Ameril Umbra Kato, the
founder of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF). The siblings reportedly sent
representatives to Kato after the BIFF leader suffered a hypertensive stroke which rendered the left
portion of his body paralyzed. After forging ties with Kato, the Mautes established the Maute group.[1]

Personal lives[edit]
Omar Maute, who is said to be fluent in the Indonesian language,[3] is married to the daughter of a
conservative Indonesian Islamic cleric. The Maute siblings include a third brother named Hashim
who was detained in the Marawi City jail until 2016 when he successfully escaped.[2]
A February 2016 report states that the relatives of Omar Maute confirmed that he had been killed
during the February 2016 Butig clash, along with a younger brother named Matti.[4] However, video
footage found on a cellphone captured by Philippine government troops in May 2017 during
the Marawi crisis indicates that Omar is alive.[5]
On 10 June 2017 during the Marawi crisis the Philippine Army claimed that they were confident that
Maute duo had been killed in a firefight, although the details are yet to be fully confirmed.[6]

Notes[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b