TWO men who have been placed under custodial investigation confessed to planting the improvised explosive device (IED) found near the US Embassy on Roxas Boulevard in Manila last Monday, PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa said yesterday.
Jiaher Guinar, 30, and Rayson Kilala alias Rashid Kilala are members of the lawless Maute group, Dela Rosa said. They were presented by Dela Rosa to media in Camp Crame but were not allowed to talk.
According to Dela Rosa, Guinar and Kilala told investigators they and three others were sent to Metro Manila for a bombing mission aimed at easing pressure on the Maute which is subject of military operations, particularly in Butig town, Lanao del Sur.
Members of the Maute, which has been linking itself to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), occupied the old and abandoned town hall in Butig last Saturday. They were dislodged from the building last Wednesday.
Aside from easing pressure, Dela Rosa said the group also wanted the ISIS to recognize it and for it to eventually receive funding from the international terrorist group.
“Ang kanilang motive ay para ma-recognize sila ng ISIS kasi as of now yung status nila as allied with ISIS is hanging in the balance. Para bang ino-obserbahan muna sila if they are really that good para tanggapin kuno ng ISIS,” he said.
Dela Rosa said three cohorts of Guinar and Kilala brought the bomb from Mindanao, which they loaded into a Toyota Revo van, and covered with pillows to avoid detection.
The van has been recovered by police.
The three are presumed to have returned to Marawi City, but authorities are still looking for them in Metro Manila, Dela Rosa said.
He also said the eyewitness must have been confused when he described the bombers’ vehicle to be a white taxi.
Dela Rosa said Guinar drove the van and planted the bomb near the US Embassy. He said Kilala first planted the bomb at Rizal Park but it failed to explode when he tried to detonate it with a handheld radio as the triggering device.
The two then transferred the IED to a trash bin near the US Embassy but it still did not explode when they tried to detonate it with use of a cellphone as the triggering device.
Dela Rosa said Guinar even tried to call the cellphone while they were watching live TV coverage of the IED being disrupted by the Explosives and Ordnance Division personnel.
The cellphone used to trigger the IED was recovered from Guinar.
“Sabi niya (Kilala) since hindi sumabog tapos, nakonsensya daw siya na baka maraming mamatay, itong si Rashid (Kilala) sinabihan niya (si Guinar) na doon sa Roxas Boulevard hanggang finally nakita doon sa basurahan,” Dela Rosa said.
Guinar was arrested in Bagong Silang, Caloocan on Wednesday dawn. Recovered from him were a .45 caliber pistol and a hand grenade. Kilala was arrested also on Wednesday at around 9:30 a.m. in Barangay Bagong Bayan, Bulakan, Bulacan.
Guinar resembled the face in the computer facial composite shown to the media by Dela Rosa on Tuesday.
Dela Rosa said Guinar has long been staying in Bagong Silang in Caloocan City and has put up a cellphone store, while Kilala has also been long staying in Barangay Bagong Bayan in Bulakan, Bulacan.
He said Kilala is a Muslim convert.
Dela Rosa again admitted there was a lapse in security, enabling the Maute men to bring bomb parts to Metro Manila.
“Aaminin ko talagang nakalusot. That’s our fault. Our effort is still wanting. Hindi ko sinasabi na tama yung effort natin. Kulang pa, inaamin ko sorry. Hindi kami umiiwas ng issue,” he said.
Asked if government provided Guinar and Kilala with lawyers, Dela Rosa said, “Maghanap sila ng abugado nila. Ako pa maghanap ng problema. Papatayin na nga nila yung mga inosenteng tao, hanapan ko pa sila ng abugado para depensahan nila.
‘Tang-___ itong mga gago na ito.”
TERROR ALERT
Dela Rosa said police and military troops in Metro Manila and the rest of the country remain on the highest state of alert, classified as “Terror Alert Level 3” by the National Intelligence and Coordinating Agency.
Dela Rosa said the highest terror alert is Level 4. He declined to elaborate on what the people can expect during Level 4 terror alert.
He said the entire country has been on alert Level 3 since September when two IEDs exploded at the Davao City market, killing 15 people and prompting President Duterte to declare a state of lawlessness.
Dela Rosa said alert Level 3 is not a cause for alarm.
“Expect strong checkpoints, Oplan Sita anytime, some raids being conducted by our security forces on suspected terrorist personalities and lairs na pwedeng pagtaguan ng mga terorista na yan,” Dela Rosa said.
PNP spokesman Dionardo Carlos said: “The Terror Threat Advisory System by the Anti-Terrorism Council places a particular location or the country in Threat Level 3 -- when a terrorist attack is a strong possibility within a short period of time.”
http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/pnp-chief-maute-men-confess-planting-bomb
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.