DEPARTMENT of Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Monday, February 4, that the man known as alias Kamah knew about the plan to bomb Jolo cathedral, but did not participate in the act.
Lorenzana said authorities are looking for a man whose name sounds like Kamah.
“Kamah, although he has knowledge about the bombing is not actually, he was not actually in the bombing... he did not actually participate in the bombing,” he said.
“We are looking for another person that whose name sounds like Kamah, but Kamah, the one that surrendered to us although he tell us something about how the bombing was planned, he was not, he did not participate in the bombing,” he added.
Kamah, whose real name is Kammah L. Pae, was among the five alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf Group who surrendered to the authorities.
Kamah denied taking part in the actual bombing of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, but the other men who surrendered pointed to him as the person who escorted the suicide bombers to Jolo.
The January 27 explosions, which were traced to two improvised explosive devices (IEDs), killed 23 civilians and uniformed men. At least 95 others were wounded.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde earlier Monday announced the surrender of Kammah, Albaji Kisae Gadjali alias Awag, Radjan Bakil Gadjali, Kaisar Bakil Gadjali and Salit Alih following a massive hot pursuit operations conducted against them by the police and military forces.
Albayalde said Kammah admitted being a member of the Ajang-ajang group, a faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group that consists of young terrorists who were responsible for the blast.
“I think he is not admitting anything pero ‘yung mga kasamahan nya they are pinpointing to him as the one who escorted itong couple and doon sa bahay nya we were able to recover an IED and IED components doon mismo sa bahay nya,” said Albayalde.
Meanwhile, Lorenzana said it has been confirmed that the suicide bombers were both foreign terrorists.
He said they are inclined to believe that the suicide bombers were Indonesians.
“I would go for either Malaysian or Indonesian, mostly Indonesian, because these two bombers were able to get, one of them was able to get into the church, and some of those who witnessed from afar, one of the women who was interviewed who was maybe four or five pews back saw this woman. She did not say that she was foreign-looking, or whatever, but she looks like Filipino,” said Lorenzana.
“So maybe if you bring in an Indonesian, bring him to Jolo as long as he does not open his mouth and speak Tausug or whatever, then he could pass for Filipino and enter the church so that is a little bit, maybe we are there now, from a range of 1 to 10, we are about 8 or 9 that there are foreigners who bombed the Jolo cathedral,” he added. (SunStar Philippines)