KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/ 28 December) – One of the suspects in the latest grenade attack against a town mayor in Sultan Kudarat province was gunned down by policemen minutes after the blast on Thursday night, a police official said.
Supt. Junny Buenacosa, Tacurong City police director, said policemen cornered the still unidentified slain suspect and his companion, Nasser Abdullah, along the highway in Maguindanao province at past 8 p.m. Thursday.
Abdullah was hurt in the exchange of gunfire and was subjected to police interrogation, but he was not cooperating, Buenacosa said.
“He is trying to mislead us by giving false information,” said the police official.
The suspects, according to Buenacosa, resembled the duo riding on a motorcycle who tossed the fragmentation grenade towards the house of President Quirino Mayor Emilio Salamanca.
The explosion hurt the mayor’s two security escorts identified as Nilo Malcontento and Junter Escalina.
Buenacosa said there were two explosions, one was at Salamanca’s residence and the other apparently meant to stop or kill the pursuing members of the Tacurong City police.
Salamanca, who was at the kitchen of his house when the blast took place, told police the latest attack on his life was politically-motivated.
The mayor is seeking a re-election in the May 2013 polls.
The grenade explosion at his compound was the second since November.
On November 18, two suspects riding on a motorcycle also attacked Salamanca’s house. No one was hurt in the explosion. (Malu Cadelina Manar/MindaNews)