AN IMPROVISED explosive device (IED) went off in a gasoline station in Lamitan City in Basilan hours after the city was declared free from Abu Sayyaf bandits.
A police report stated that the explosion happened around 6:55 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, in a gasoline station in Barangay Matibay, resulting in the injury of a bystander.
The injured individual was immediately brought to the Lamitan District Hospital for immediate medical attention.
The police said the owner of the gasoline station, Noel Mateo, claimed that last April 2024, he received an extortion letter, threatening to blow up their store with a bomb if they fail to give extortion money.
“Further, ongoing information gathering and coordination with intel counterparts were undertaken whether the said incident is connected to ASG (Abu Sayyaf Group) activity,” the police report stated. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)