Sunday, September 07, 2008 Bus owners urged to buy metal detectors
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) appealed to bus companies to purchase metal detectors as an added precaution against terrorism.
Police Regional Office (PRO) -Southern Mindanao director Andres Caro made the appeal in the light of last week's bus bombing in Digos City that killed six people and wounded 34 others.
Caro said the handy metal detector could readily detect metal components of improvised explosive devices that are commonly used in bombings in Mindanao.
He said that with the metal detectors, even lady passengers are not spared from body search and could not accuse inspectors of sexual harassment considering that the metal detector will not be touching any body parts of the individual being searched.
Caro said that terrorists and extortion groups are now using lady bombers since they are not likely to be searched in checkpoints.
The Metro Shuttle bus bombing inside the Digos City terminal on September 1 was blamed on the extortion group Al Khobar. The bomber was said to be a lady who was also responsible for the July 24 bombing on the same bus company and the same terminal that resulted to the death of two persons.
Aside from Metro Shuttle, the Weena Bus is also target of attacks by the Al Khobar group. (BOT)
