SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao – Authorities foiled a bombing attempt in this town Friday night and arrested two of four suspects, the military said.
An improvised explosive device placed in a small box was left at around 6:30 p.m. beside a terminal ticket booth near a Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team outpost.
The Philippine Army’s Explosive and Ordnance Division defused the IED about an hour later, according to Captain Arvin John Encinas, 6th Infantry Division spokesperson.
BPAT members told the military they saw four men speeding away on board two separate motorbikes after leaving the IED, said Encinas.
They reported to Vice Mayor Akmhad Ampatuan who, along with the BPAT, chased the suspects. They caught two suspects on a motorbike but failed to catch the two on board another.
Encinas identified those arrested as Esmael Abdulkarem, 44, of Shariff Aguak, and Boy Kamid, 52, of Datu Hoffer, both in Maguindanao. Two .45 pistols were seized from them.
Personnel of the Army’s 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion and 57th Infantry Battalion cordoned off the ticketing booth area.
According to Encinas, the IED was fashioned from an MK2 fragmentation grenade and a 60mm mortar explosive without its fuse and tailfin.
Major General Arnel B. dela Vega, 6th ID chief, lauded the alertness of the village watchmen and Ampatuan.
The arrested suspects were under close watch at the municipal police station as of this writing. (PNA)
