Van full of explosives seized in Zambo

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Joint military and police intelligence operatives seized a container van full of explosives being unloaded in the wharf here Friday, police said.

Anti-terror Task Force Zamboanga chief Col. Nonato Peralta said the explosives, initially valued at P3 million, were intercepted following a tip-off of their origin from Manila.

The explosives were passed off as automotive spare parts and commercial goods which were mixed up in several boxes, Peralta said.

“There was a tip-off from a concerned citizen (about) a cargo van containing the contraband, particularly explosives from Manila,” Peralta said.

Peralta said lawmen initially recovered four boxes containing about 23,000 pieces of blasting caps, six spools of time fuses at 1,000 meters length, four spools of 250-meter detonating cord and about five kilos of Pentaerythritetetranite (PETN), a high-grade explosive powder.

Peralta said they traced the origin of the shipment but declined to elaborate citing security reasons.

Police maritime station director Chief Inspector Nazier Hailil said the tight security being implemented in the seaport led to the seizure of the explosives.

Authorities are tracing the consignees of the shipment but security sources believed the names indicated in the consignment were fictitious.

Peralta said the shipment of explosives is an indication of a possible terror bombing campaign in Mindanao.

“However, we cannot confirm that yet with the absence of other information,” Peralta said.

“The most important thing is we got it before it reaches to where it is supposed to go,” he said.

Peralta though admitted initial intelligence information on the reported presence of armed groups with links to the Abu Sayyaf terrorists in several areas in the Zamboanga peninsula.  –Roel Pareño