Army tracking down suspects in Davao bombing

From the Philippine News Agency (Nov 16): Army tracking down suspects in Davao bombing

Military authorities here are hunting down 16 more accomplices of eight detained suspects in the September Davao City night market bombing that left 15 dead, officials said Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. Carlito Galvez, 6th Infantry Division commander, said the Army continues to help the police in tracking down the whereabouts of other suspects in the September 2 bombing that also injured 70 others.

Seven of the eight suspects were already arrested in separate operations in Cotabato City and Maguindanao which also led to the recovery of bomb making materials.

Jericho de Roma, the eight suspect, voluntarily surrendered over the weekend to the military and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) after government forces raided his home in Cotabato City.

De Roma was tagged by the suspects earlier arrested as among the accomplices from planning to execution of the terror attack.

Galvez said Roma has provided vital information of the group's activities prior to the bombing in Davao. They belonged to Dawlah Islamiya, a local counterpart of Maute terror group based in Lanao del Sur.

Galvez lauded the efforts of Cotabato City local officials who provided information to the military which carried out the arrests.

Galvez refused to provide further details on other suspects who remained at large and could be planning similar attacks to retaliate the arrest of their companions.

On October 6, bombing suspects TJ Macabalang, Wendell Facturan and Musali Mustapha were arrested in Cotabato City.

Follow-up operations led to the arrest of four others identified as Mohammad Chenikandiyil, Jackson Usi, Zack Lopez and Ansan Mamasapano on October 29.

They were collared separately in Datu Odin Sinsuat town in Maguindanao and in Cotabato City. Improvised explosive devices, similar to the one used in Davao bombing and other areas in Mindanao, were seized from them.

The four were reportedly planning to carry out bombings while President Duterte was in the city on October 29.

The President visited the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in Cotabato City to launch various socio-economic projects intended for underdeveloped areas in Mindanao.

An Army intelligence officer said the 16 other suspects are identified with the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) based mainly in Maguindanao.

These suspects were trained by the slain Malaysian terrorist and bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir who was killed during police operations in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in January 2015.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=940502