Thursday, December 16, 2004
5 suspects in GenSan bombing arrested with explosives (9:10 a.m.)
MANILA, -- Five suspects in a bombing that killed at least 14 people at a public market in General Santos City have been arrested with explosives in their possession, military officials said Thursday.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Buenaventura Pascual said two women and three men were apprehended Wednesday in General Santos, where Sunday's bombing also wounded 70 people.
Authorities recovered from them a mortar, a blasting cap, a hand grenade, electrical wire, C-4 plastic explosives and a pack of an unknown white powder, the officials said.
Col. Alfredo Cayton, the area brigade commander, said a witness identified one of the suspects as the bomber.
He refused to elaborate, and it wasn't immediately clear if the suspects belong to any terrorist organization. He said authorities have "a solid lead" and that divulging details "might compromise our ongoing operation."
National Police Chief Edgar Aglipay said investigators were looking into the possibility that a dispute between two groups wrangling over a market stall may have led to the bombing, but the involvement of militant groups hasn't been discounted.
"We are following all leads including the business rivalry (angle)," Cayton said. "Although we have the suspects, we are interrogating them to determine the actual motive."
The investigation in General Santos, about 1,000 kilometers south of Manila, is also being helped by Australian police, said senior police inspector Maximo Sebastian.
A police report said high explosives, possibly TNT, were used in the attack.
President Arroyo promised a swift investigation into the bombing, which shattered a months-long lull in bomb attacks in the country's volatile south, where Muslim insurgents have been fighting for a separate homeland.(AP) |
