Grenade thrower killed, pal arrested in Tacurong City

From the Philippine News Agency (Dec 28): Grenade thrower killed, pal arrested in Tacurong City

A suspect was killed while his companion arrested following a shootout with policemen after they tossed a grenade at the house of a Sultan Kudarat town mayor Thursday night here, police said. Senior Supt. Juny Buenacosa, Tacurong City police director, said the two suspects engaged policemen in a running gun battle minutes after they lobbed a grenade into the residential compound of Mayor Emilio Salamanca of President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat around 7:45 p.m. Thursday.
Buenacosa identified the arrested suspect as Nasser Abdullah, 40, a resident of Kabacan, North Cotabato while his unidentified companion was killed by responding lawmen.

Buenacosa said two men riding tandem on a motorbike passed by the house of Mayor Salamanca located along Lapu-Lapu Street, Tacurong City and lobbed a fragmentation grenade. But Salamanca’s personal bodyguards who were outside the house engaged the attackers in a running shootout. Responding policemen joined the manhunt against the suspects who tossed another hand grenade to pursuing lawmen that went off and wounded a civilian named Jona Parenio. Buenacosa identified the wounded escorts of Salamanca as Nilo Malcontento and Junfer Icalina. The suspects were cornered at Fernandez subdivision. Police seized another grenade from Abdullah, a caliber .45 pistol and the getaway motorcyle.

Buenacosa said the grenade attack, the second on Salamanca’s house this year, could be politically motivated. Last October, unidentified men also lobbed a grenade at the mayor’s house but nobody was hurt. It was the second explosion that rocked Tacurong City in two days. On Wednesday night, an improvised explosive device was set off at the city proper that left three persons wounded.

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