Monday, February 29, 2016

Sultan Kudarat cops foil bombing attempt

From the Philippine News Agency (Mar 1): Sultan Kudarat cops foil bombing attempt

The alertness of police officers and bomb experts here foiled on Tuesday a bombing attempt meant for participants of the Fire Prevention Month launching, police said.

According to Supt. Joefel Siason, Isulan town police chief, parade participants, led by Isulan Mayor Diosdado Pallasigue, noticed two men riding on a motorbike left a trolley bag at a roadside at past 6:00 a.m.

The parade had just started when the bombing attempt was noticed by Siason and other officials.

"It was left about 15 meters away from the parade lead team,” Siason said, describing the bomb as "very powerful."

Contained in a black trolley bag, the IED was fashioned from 105 howitzer with about four kilos of cut nails and metal sheets, two mobile phones, blasting caps and a circuit board.

"That bomb was meant to kill and maim people had it exploded, it was about 15 meters away from us," Pallasigue said.

“They left a black trolley bag and sped away. But the bag tilted on its side and fell so one of the two went back to return the bag to its standing position then quickly left,” Siason said in Filipino.

Police and Army bomb experts, using bomb sniffing dogs, checked on the baggage and confirmed it was a bomb which they later deactivated.

Pallasigue believed the bomb was meant for him.

“It was meant for me and other local officials, who else are the target but the parade participants with the bomb left as we are about to pass,” Pallasigue said, adding the launching was briefly interrupted.

Pallasigue, a three-termer town mayor, is running for governor of Sultan Kudarat.

“Since I filed my candidacy, I have been receiving threats, I was informed that my enemies will finish me off before the May 9 elections,” Pallasigue said.

“The threat is now real,” he added.

Following the incident, police have put up additional checkpoints and inspected public transport coming in and out of the integrated bus terminal.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=861919

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