Friday, May 09, 2008
Al-Qaeda-linked extortion gang admits Midsayap bombing (1:27 p.m.)
MIDSAYAP -- A notorious extortion gang claimed responsibility Friday for detonating a bomb in a passenger van that wounded five people in the southern Philippines, a town mayor said.
Manuel Rabara, mayor of Midsayap township in North Cotabato province, told reporters he had received several calls from a man demanding money on behalf of his group before and after the bomb went off at a passenger terminal Thursday.
"We will not give in to their demand," Rabara said.
The homemade bomb, apparently detonated by cell phone, exploded while the van was about to begin a journey, police said. Five people were wounded, including a mother and her two children. The mother's feet may have to be amputated, said a doctor, Sanny Sandig.
Midsayap police chief Superintendent Chino Mamburam said authorities were trying to determine if the explosive was the same type used in the bombing of a parked bus in the same town last month.
Police believe the April attack, which caused no injuries, was the work of the Al-Khobar gang that has been targeting bus companies and other businesses.
Authorities said the group has ties to al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants, notorious for bomb attacks and kidnappings for ransom.
Midsayap, about 550 miles (890 kilometers) south of Manila, has been threatened by extortion gangs in the past and is located near Muslim separatist guerrilla camps. (AP) |
