COTABATO, Philippines, September 18 (Xinhua) -- A senior Islamic rebel official, whose group engaged in peace talks with the Philippine government, said Sunday that an Al Qaeda-linked militant bomb expert is still alive, hiding in Mindanao but they monitored no imminent threat of terror attacks in the region. 

Von Al Haq, spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front ( MILF), said by phone that Jemaah Islamiyah bomb expert Basit Usman was seen recently by their informants in Central Mindanao . 

However, Al Haq said based on their intelligence report there were no indication of any attacks to happen. 

In January 2010, Usman was reportedly killed by American forces along with several others on the border of South and North Waziristan tribal regions. The U.S. state department has offered 1 million U.S. dollars reward for information leading to the militant's capture. 

"He (Usman) is till alive. But there is no such training of 20 militants as what the authorities said. These training exercises cannot be done inside a house. They need a bigger place and it cannot be kept public," Al Haq said. 

Earlier, Chief superintendent Felicisimo Khu, head of Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao, said their intelligence officers intercepted reports that 20 newly trained bombers were dispatched and scattered in the region. 

He said the militants were trained by Jemaah Islamiyah bomb expert Basit Usman, a member of the Moro Islamic liberation Front Special Operation Group, but the rebel group disowned him. 

But the rebel spokesman said they suspect the recent incident of bomb attacks in Cotabato and nearby towns could be part of a move by the government forces to justify their budget for next year.

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