(UPDATE) DOJ ends probe on foiled airport bombing

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Department of Justice (DOJ) said today that it has concluded the preliminary investigation into the failed attempt of an anti-China group to bomb the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the Chinese embassy.

Assistant State Prosecutor Aristotle Reyes terminated the scheduled preliminary investigation of the botched attack and set the case for resolution after the lawyer of the three suspected members of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) filed before him a petition to cancel the ongoing probe.

The three suspects are facing charges of illegal possession of explosives for allegedly planning to attack four targets, including the Chinese embassy, to show their anger against China.

On September 1, operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) swooped down on NAIA Terminal 3 after receiving an intelligence report of a plot to bomb the airport.

The NBI arrested the three suspects who admitted that they had planned to launch simultaneous attacks at several other sites including the Chinese Embassy and DMCI which were both located in Makati City.