Año: Jolo cathedral attack a case of suicide bombing

From Malaya Business Insight (Feb 6, 2019): Año: Jolo cathedral attack a case of suicide bombing

INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año yesterday said the bomb attack at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo town in Sulu on January 27 is a case of suicide bombing involving an Indonesian couple.

“It’s officially confirmed that it’s a case of suicide bombing,” Año said referring to the twin bombings at the church, which killed 23 persons and injured about 100 others.

Año said the conclusion was based on the “post-blast and forensic investigation, as well as the testimonies of survivors.” The investigation was conducted by the police.

The cathedral attack is the second case of suicide bombing in the country. The first was in July last year when a Moroccan blew himself up in Lamitan City, killing 11 people. Officials initially denied the Lamitan incident was a case of suicide bombing.

Año said the cathedral bombers are an Indonesian husband and wife couple.

He said the Indonesian government “is willing to assist” in the identification of the two.

Intelligence reports said the couple, identified by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier as Yemenis, linked up with the group of Abu Sayyaf leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan after arriving in Sulu from Indonesia.

The two, prior to the blasts, were escorted to Jolo by Kammah Pae alias Kamah, a member of the Ajang-Ajang which is a group associated with the Abu Sayyaf.

Pae and four other suspects surrendered to authorities on Saturday and Sunday. PNP chief Oscar Albayalde said Monday Pae did not admit participation in the attack but his cohorts said Pae “escorted” the Indonesians to his (Pae’s) house in Jolo.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has said another man with the name “Kamah” is behind the blasts, and not the one who surrendered last Saturday.

Officials have said about 40 foreign terrorists are in the country, mostly in Sulu and Maguindanao.

The foreign terrorists supposedly include Indonesians, Malaysians, Pakistanis, Moroccans, Egyptians, and Singaporeans.

Año said the foreign terrorists continue to teach Filipino terrorists on suicide bombing.

“By showing and doing these suicide bombings, they are expecting the Filipino Muslim terrorists would follow soon. They underestimate the influence of Filipino culture on our Muslim brothers,” he said.PNP spokesman Senior Supt. Bernard Banac said the police force considers the Jolo bombing case as solved but not yet closed.

“We’ve arrested the (five) suspects and filed charges against them so the case is solved but it does not necessarily mean it’s closed because we continue to pursue other suspects. We continue to pursue them as of now,” he said.

Police said there are 14 other suspects in the blasts, including Sawadjaan, who Banac said masterminded the attack. Soldiers clashed with Sawadjaan’s group in Patikul on Saturday. The clash left five soldiers and three terrorists dead.

Banac said Kamah, during questioning, denied any involvement in the bombing “but his four companions admitted that he is their leader.”

Banac maintained that Kamah and his companions provided transportation and food to the Indonesian couple “until the bombing of the Sulu cathedral was consummated.”

“It’s his right to deny the charges against him. That is his right. But because of the testimony and evidence we gathered against him, we included him in the case (that was filed),” Banac said.

https://malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/a%C3%B1o-jolo-cathedral-attack-case-suicide-bombing