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Thursday, August 23, 2007
Bomb attack on passenger bus foiled
By Bong Garcia
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Authorities foiled a bomb attack on a passenger bus with the help of civilians Tuesday in Zamboanga del Sur Province.
Zamboanga Peninsula Police Director Jaime Caringal said the bomb was recovered around 11:30 p.m. aboard a Rural Transit bus when it arrived in Pagadian City, the capital of Zamboanga del Sur.
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Caringal said the bomb was set to explode at midnight. It was detonated by the Explosive Ordinance and Demolition (EOD) personnel three minutes before it was set to explode.
He said the type of bomb recovered is the same as the one that exploded in a Zamboanga City plaza around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Caringal said the bus came from this city and its last stop was supposed to be in Cagayan de Oro City.
He said the motive could be extortion, citing intelligence report that the Rural Transit Corporation received an extortion demand last month.
He said the sender of the extortion letter claimed to be a Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebel leader. "We are still checking it."
He urged the riding public to be patient because they have implemented strict security measures at the bus terminal in Zamboanga City. The measures include a thorough inspection of baggage before it is allowed up the bus.
Security in and around the city has also been strengthened to prevent a repeat of the incident. (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (August 23, 2007 issue)
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