Friday, January 05, 2007
Two wounded in bomb explosion in southern RP (1:20 p.m.)
MANILA -- A homemade bomb blamed on Muslim militants exploded outside a restaurant in a southern Philippine city on Friday, wounding two people, police said.
The bomb in Cotabato City, 880 kilometers (550 miles) south of Manila, was hidden in a carton box and made out of three 60 mm mortar shells, two of which went off, police said.
Chief Superintendent German Doria, the regional police director, said al-Qaida-linked militants - the Abu Sayyaf and Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah - were suspected of planting the bombs, although he didn't offer any evidence.
"No one else would be behind this," Doria said.
Cotabato Police Chief Peraco Macacua said investigators recovered three sets of mortar fins as well as shattered and burnt parts of a cell phone, leading them to believe the device was triggered remotely using the mobile phone.
He said the blast shattered the restaurant's windows and those of two vehicles parked nearby.
Two people were wounded in the legs and treated in a hospital, officials said.
A similar bomb explosion outside a department store in October caused no casualties, but another device set off at the same time killed seven people in Makilala town in Cotabato province.
In December, a bomb exploded inside a mall in Tacurong city in nearby Sultan Kudarat province, wounding four people.
Authorities blamed the bombings on the Abu Sayyaf, which has gained notoriety for kidnappings and bomb attacks.
A US-backed offensive has targeted the group's leaders, who are believed to be hiding with two top Indonesian militants on southern Jolo island.
Last month, the military said an informant led them to a jungle grave on Jolo where he claimed Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani was buried in October after succumbing to battle wounds.
Authorities are awaiting the results of DNA tests to confirm if the body is that of Janjalani.(AP)
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