(2ND UPDATE) Suicide bombers were behind twin blasts in Jolo Cathedral Sunday that left 22 dead and at least 100 hurt, Sulu police said Friday.
This confirmed President Rodrigo Duterte's earlier statement that the bomb attack on the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cathedral in Jolo was a suicide bombing.
Authorities had to check the information after witnesses said they saw a "suspicious" woman leave a package near one of the pews at the church.
Sulu Provincial Police director Senior Supt. Pablo Labra said several eyewitnesses pointed to a man and a woman who they believe were responsible for the bombings.
Testimonies, according to Labra, indicate that the woman took a seat inside the church while the man walked out.
The woman, who was wearing a gray-looking jacket, carried a backpack and did not leave before the first blast. The second bomb, meanwhile, was on the male bomber when it exploded, Labra said.
Labra added that as of Friday, two pairs of severed legs remained unclaimed, indicating that these may belong to the suicide bombers.
Results of a DNA test on the severed body parts will be out in a few days, Labra said. He, however, declined to comment on the nationality of the bombers.
At least 4 persons of interest, including the alleged brother of a slain Abu Sayyaf official, surrendered to authorities earlier this week to clarify that they had nothing to do with the bombing.
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the military is looking at the involvement of the IS-inspired Abu Sayyaf group in the incident.
The blasts occurred while Mindanao remained under martial law.
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