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Wednesday, November 21, 2007
2nd motorcycle bomb recovered in police operation (3:20 p.m.)
MANILA -- Authorities recovered motorcycle bomb components in two Manila houses that allegedly were to be used in a second attack on a Muslim lawmaker in case he survived last week's bombing outside the legislature, officials said Wednesday.
Three men, including at least one suspected Muslim militant, were arrested and facing murder charges in the Nov. 13 blast outside the House of Representatives that killed Basilan Representative Wahab Akbar and three congressional staffers.
Police suspect the bomb, which was hidden in a parked motorcycle, was placed by Akbar's political rivals, possibly including militants from the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group.
A former Muslim rebel-turned-politician, Akbar had been linked to the Abu Sayyaf but later backed military attacks against it. He also had many enemies as the head of a powerful political dynasty that has been running Basilan province.
Security forces, acting on information provided by the three detained suspects, raided a Manila apartment Monday and found parts of a second motorcycle and traces of nitrate, which is an explosives component, said army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres.
Torres said the three suspects told authorities a bomb had been assembled in the area as an "alternate plan" to assassinate Akbar.
Near the house, authorities arrested a former Basilan town mayor, Harajon Jamiri, who was initially charged with illegal possession of firearms.
On late Tuesday, a second raid on another Manila house revealed more bomb components, Torres said. He said he suspected Jamiri disassembled the motorcycle bomb and hid the explosives in that house.
Torres said the raid was conducted on the house of lawyer Wilson Asanin on 2065-D6, Barangay 705, Zone 77, District V, Leveriza street in Malate at around 9:20 p.m.
Torres said the raid was conducted as part of "our follow-up operations regarding the Batasan bombing." The raid involved elements from the Army's Intelligence Security Group, PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and Manila Police District.
The ISG has been actively involved in the investigation and in the conduct of subsequent operations regarding the Batasan blast. Reports had it that the angle that the Abu Sayyaf perpetrated the Batasan bombing was developed by the ISG.
At around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday, Torres said joint ISG and CIDG, in coordination with the Manila Police District swooped down on the house of Wilson after receiving information that bomb components are being kept in the place.
"Said house is where ex-mayor Hadjaron Usman Jamiri hid the disassembled bomb components previously rigged in his Suzuki shogun motorcycle," said Torres. Torres said Asanin was not arrested but was not able to give categorical answers as to why he was not taken in.
Torres said among the items recovered by the raiding team during the search of Asanin's house was composed of a "main (bomb) charge placed inside a Bona milk and some electrical wirings. (A) full inventory of other recovered items are not yet available."
Torres said he had no information if Jamiri was an Abu Sayyaf member, but that, like Akbar, he used to be with the Muslim separatist Moro National Liberation Front. More recently, he helped authorities in negotiations that led to the release of a kidnapped Italian priest in the southern Philippines, Torres said.
Political violence and vendettas are common in the southern Philippines.
As Basilan governor in 2002, Akbar welcomed US troops who trained Filipino soldiers battling the Abu Sayyaf. Over the years, the island was gradually transformed from a militant hotbed into a showcase of counterterrorism success and humanitarian development. (AP/VR/Sunnex) |
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