Cops eye IS-linked group in Koronadal blast
Local News • 16:37 PM Mon Apr 30, 2018
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By:
Edwin O. Fernandez
Chief Supt. Marcelo Morales, PRO-12 regional director (PRO-PIO)
KORONADAL CITY – Police authorities blamed the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria-allied Moro armed group in the bombing near a Catholic Church here Sunday
that left two persons injured.
Chief Supt.
Marcelo Morales, police director for the SOCCSKSARGEN region, told a news
conference that the suspects also used a woman to plant another improvised bomb
in front of a convenience store, about three blocks away from the St. Anthony
Parish Cathedral where the first IED went off.
Diversionary
tactic of the BIFF because of the losses they experienced the past few days….we
have arrests made and the Army continued offensives against them in
Maguindanao, Morales said of the 12:50 p.m. blast and the discovery of two
more.
The
perpetrators have plotted to set off three improvised bombs in the city’s commercial
district here. One went off front the flower shop on Rizal Street beside the
cathedral, another at 747 convenience store along GenSan Drive and the third
near Ela Building, also along GenSan Drive.
The secondary
and tertiary bomb failed to explode and police bomb experts deactivated the
explosives minutes after the primary blast.
Citing police
reports, Morales said a woman was seen bringing beside the convenience store a
plastic bag, left it and then left. A
CCTV footage is being examined to determine the identities of the suspects.
Koronadal City
Mayor Peter Miguel has appealed to the public to remain calm but alert. He urged the public to be alert on suspicious
boxes and cellophanes left unattended by unidentified men.
He also said
that Koronadal had been in the radar of terrorist organizations. Stricter checkpoints around the city and
implementation of stricter curfew hours are being considered to prevent similar
attacks in the past.
He lauded the
civilians for alerting the police on the secondary and tertiary bombs.