Army blames BIFF in foiled bus bombing attempt in Tacurong City

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 9): Army blames BIFF in foiled bus bombing attempt in Tacurong City

The Army blamed the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in a foiled bombing attempt inside a passenger bus today.

Colonel Melquiades Feliciano, commander of the 601st Infantry Brigade, said the composition and make of the improvised explosive device left by three passengers on a Yellow Bus Line unit has the “signatures’ of the BIFF.

The BIFF is a breakaway of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (BIFF) which was the subject of massive military law enforcement operations in Maguindanao last month.

A week before the discovery of a powerful improvised explosive device inside a Yellow Bus Line unit Wednesday morning, police and military operatives have been closely monitoring public places and public transport.

Senior Supt. Alex dela Rosa, Sultan Kudarat police provincial director, said a police informant has been providing the Tacurong City police with intelligence information about the bombing plot, forcing the PNP to deploy plainclothes and intelligence agents on buses, Churches and public places in the city and in the province.

Investigation showed that the suspects boarded the bus not in Tacurong City terminal but at the public market where the bus had a stop-over before proceeding to the integrated terminal.

At past 11:40 a.m. Thursday, three men disembark minutes after the YBL with body number 9208 as it reaches the highway going to Isulan.

Dela Rosa said police and Army intelligence agents became suspicious when the three male suspects disembarked hurriedly without carrying any baggage.

Authorities suspected the bomb they carry might have been left in the bus.

Dela Rosa said when accosted, the trio denied they left a bomb in the bus which already left for Isulan.

According to Supt. Junney Buenacosa, Tacurong City PNP chief, the intelligence information prompted the police to alert its detachment in Barangay Barrio Dos. The detachment was manned by Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB-12) operatives.

Feliciano said Army bomb experts found two 60 mm mortars as main charge and a rocket propelled grenade with mobile phone as trigger mechanism was found at 10:50 a.m. inside Yellow Bus Line

During police inspection, the suspected bomb was found at the rear portion of the passenger vehicle. Police safely evacuated the passengers and alerted the Army’s 33rd Explosive and Ordnance Disposal Team.

The IED was brought outside the bus and was disrupted, Feliciano said.

Jimmy Cedullo, bus conductor, admitted to police investigators that the bomb couriers could have slipped inside the bus while some passengers were disembarking at the loading and unloading area in front of the Tacurong public market.

Passengers were alarmed by the information and rushed down the bus.

Passenger Florencia Lanistosa said she was unaware that there was a bomb on board. She said when policemen flagged down the vehicle and revealed about the bomb she felt nervous and quickly alighted when ordered by lawmen.

"All of us felt nervous of what we learned,” she said in Filipino.

Buenacosa said all the passengers of the bus were considered suspects and invited for questioning.

"We conducted elimination process on about 20 passengers and our investigation is focused on the three male suspects," Buenacosa said, without naming the three male suspects.

Nobody has claimed responsibility.

Feliciano stressed all indications showed it was the handiwork of extortion groups or armed men responsible in series of bombings in Central Mindanao region.

On April 2, the Cotabato City police foiled an attempt by unidentified men after it recovered an improvised bomb and a grenade in front of Cotabato Regional and Medical Center and Al-Nor Convention Center along Sinsuat Avenue.

On Wednesday dawn, a powerful IED exploded inside the compound of National Irrigation Administration (NIA-12) in Barangay Villarica, Midsayap, North Cotabato.

Nobody was hurt in the blast. Bomb experts found a rocket propelled grenade near the NIA-Internal Commission on Audit office.

Today’s bombing attempt came after the military’s law enforcement operations against the BIFF.

About 151 BIFF bandits, 10 soldiers including an Army captain, were killed during the operation which also displaced 120,000 persons.

Among those killed were three BIFF notorious commanders identified as Yusoph Abisalih and siblings Norodin and Salahudin Indong. Two BIFF officials, BIFF sub commanders Mohammad Ali Tambako and Ali Pagao, BIFF finance officer.

The BIFF has been blamed for the series of bombings on bus companies and public places in Central Mindanao region.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=751758