Thursday, November 29, 2007 Kin call for release of mall blast suspect
THE family of one of the suspects in last week's Kidapawan City bombing insisted on his innocence and called for his immediate release.
In a press conference Wednesday at Kakoy's Grill along Anda, this city, Datu Ali Hasssan, father of Mohaliden Hassan, said his son could not have been in the area and left his bag there prior to the blast as they were together on the way home from Pikit.
The suspect's girlfriend, Ivy Ali, who was also at the press conference, said the baggage counter stub that was allegedly given to him after he left the bag containing the bomb was actually hers.
"Akin po yung stub kasi iniwan ko yung payong ko doon sa morning ng November 18, di ko po nakuha kasi nakalimutan ko kaya binigay ko sa kanya yung stub para siya na ang mag claim," Ali said. (That was my stub because I left my umbrella there on the morning of November 18. I failed to get it that day so I gave the stub to him so he could be the one to claim my umbrella.)
Ali, who works as a promo girl at one of the establishments at the KMCC Mall, said she deposited the umbrella on the 18th and Hassan was with her at that time.
According to the girlfriend's mother, the suspect had just arrived from the trip with his father when the explosion happened.
"Dumating siya sa amin mga six o'clock, hinahanap si Ivy. Sabi ko puntahan niya sa KMCC kasi nga may bomba baka napano," said Joy Ali adding that she could not leave the house because of their baby. (He arrived at 6 p.m. and looked for Ivy. I told him to go to KMCC and see if something happened to her because there was an explosion there.)
Hassan's father, on the other hand, insisted that the bomb materials allegedly used by suspects were just fertilizer commonly used by the family for their farm.
"Common na po yan sa amin na merong mga feritilizer kasi mayron kaming plantation ng saging, vegetables at coconuts. Hati-hati yun sa aming magkakapatid since we acquired the land in 1947," Datu Hassan said.
The family is in the city to gather support for the release of Mohaliden and his cousin, Alex Sanduyugan.
Militant groups Karapatan and Suara Bangsamoro Party are supporting the family's claim and are helping them campaign for the release of both suspects. (GLP)
