DAVAO CITY -- The National Bureau of Investigation has vowed to bring back Michael Meiring, the American who is facing arrest for causing a blast in a downtown budget hotel here over a month ago.

This was the promise made by NBI chief Reynaldo Wycoco during the weekly Club 888 business forum at The Marco Polo hotel here this morning.

But the problem is, the NBI is not even sure whether Meiring is still in the country or not.

Wycoco said he will have to check Meiring’s exact whereabouts with his counterparts from the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation who are in Manila as soon as he gets back to his office later today.

Meiring's legs were blown off when dynamites he kept inside his room at the Evergreen Hotel room exploded on May 16.

"Whatever is needed to solve the case, we will do that," Wycoco vowed.

An exasperated Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, during a peace and order council meeting here early this month, said that Meiring was spirited out from his hospital room at the Davao Doctors Hospital by FBI agents on May 19. This they did without the knowledge of top officials of the Philippine National Police here, the mayor claimed.

He described the FBI move as an " affront to Philippine sovereignty" and warned he will arrest FBI agents if they return and operate here again without giving "fundamental courtesy" to local authorities.

At the time Meiring was taken out by the FBI, the PNP was still in the process of preparing charges of "reckless endangerment resulting to damages on property" and "illegal possession of explosives."

But the US Embassy in Manila, in a statement dated May 31, said it has had no hand in Meiring’s hasty departure although it admitted that FBI officers did go to Davao to check on Meiring’s case.

A five-paragraph press statement titled "US Embassy denies Davao allegations" said "the FBI officers were given permission by the PNP officer in charge."

The statement noted that "they consulted with the PNP Davao crime scene investigators about what was considered a possible terrorist act involving injury to an American citizen. The FBI officials then returned to Manila the same day."

"The US embassy categorically denies that the FBI had any role in Mr. Meiring's departure," the press statement read.

"While in Davao," the US Embassy said, "all FBI activities were fully coordinated with the Davao PNP. The FBI officials who visited Davao were accompanied by the appropriate PNP liaison officer. The FBI officials returned to Manila prior to the time Mr. Meiring left the hospital."

This morning, reporters informed Wycoco that Regional Trial Court Branch 13 Judge Isaac Robillo on Friday morning has issued an arrest warrant against Meiring.

Wycoco said they will get a copy of the warrant from Robillo’s sala and hand it over to their FBI counterpart in Manila.