Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. disclosed that initial investigation of the two bomb explosions in Kidapawan City last Friday that killed two girls and wounded 30 others showed that the attacks were conducted by an extortion gang composed of former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels operating in Central Mindanao.
He said that steps are now being undertaken by the military and other government agencies to neutralize the extortion group, dubbed Abu Sofia, that is also engaged in kidnapping-for-ransom activities and other terrorist operations.
“There’s always a possibility that this extortion group (Abu Sofia), if not addressed, can always become a bigger terrorist group,” Esperon said during the induction at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City of the new officers of the Defense Press Corps (DPC) led by the new president, The STAR reporter James Mananghaya.
Esperon said that members of the terrorist groups operating in Mindanao started as small bands, which later became bigger terrorist groups that included MILF renegades and local criminals.
Officials have warned the government that the Jemaah Islamiyah, an international terrorist group operating in southeast Asia with links to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda, has already stockpiled improvised bombs for its planned bombings in key areas in Mindanao.
This developed as the police foiled another bombing attempt in nearby Pikit town yesterday morning with the recovery and disarming of an improvised explosive device (IED) planted in front of an establishment.
Central Mindanao police said the bomb was fashioned from a grenade launcher projectile and was recovered by alert policemen in front of S-Chen Gen. Merchandise along Matalam street, Poblacion Pikit at around 7 a.m.
Responding military and police bomb disposal experts recovered the improvised bomb and disarmed it.
Meanwhile, the other girl who died yesterday due to injuries she sustained from Friday night’s bombings in Kidapawan City, was identified as Heidi Lozada, 12. She was the second fatality of the bombings.
The other slain victim was Lozada’s cousin Honey May Lozada, 8, who died just several minutes after two explosions at the commercial district in Kidapawan.
The Kidapawan police has detained a suspect identified as George German, 20, who was seen running away from the scene after the two explosions.
The first bomb was planted in a crowded minibus exploded near the Sheer Marketing along Quezon Ave. in Kidapawan City. Another explosion followed less than 15 seconds later in a nearby appliance store.
Friday’s twin bombings in Kidapawan City came just five days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 10, 2006 bombings in nearby Makilala, North Cotabato, which left eight people dead and 32 others wounded.
Philippine National Police chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr., who visited the blast sites yesterday, said the police is investigating if German could be a local member of the Jemaah Islamiyah. – With John Unson, Michael Punongbayan, Edith Regalado