ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/27 October) – The police and military foiled a bombing attempt by suspected members by the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan province, an official said Tuesday.
Senior Supt. Oscar Nantes, Basilan police director, said patrolling policemen recovered on Monday night an improvised bomb placed along the road in Rizal Avenue, Lamitan City.
Nantes said an explosives and ordnance demolition team of the military defused the bomb, a cellular phone-triggered explosive, minutes after it was recovered.
Nantes said the bomb, an ammonium nitrate fuel oil type of explosive, was placed in a can of milk rigged with wires and nails as shrapnel.
He said investigation showed the bombing attempt on Monday night was the handiwork of the Abu Sayyaf bandits.
He added that in previous months the kidnap-for-ransom group planted similar bombs in Lamitan City which were also recovered and defused.
Meanwhile, the Joint Task Force Sulu conducted disruption procedure on an abandoned “suspicious item wrapped in a sack of rice” on Monday night but it turned out to be containing garbage.
Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado, JTGS commander, said the abandoned item was recovered at the back of the a school around 70 meters away from a Marine checkpoint following a report from a pedicab driver around 9:30 p.m. Monday along Airport Road, Barangay Busbus, Jolo, Sulu.
Arrojado said the item might have been intentionally placed near the checkpoint to test the reaction of the Marine troops.
He said the threat of the Abu Sayyaf to stage bombings remains high in Jolo. (MindaNews)