Jakarta bombers used guns from Philippines?

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine National Police (PNP) is coordinating with its Indonesian counterpart amid reports that the guns used in the terror attack in Jakarta, Indonesia last week came from the Philippines.

PNP chief Director General Ricardo Marquez yesterday said they would wait for the official report from the Indonesian National Police (INP) and would start checking the information once they have the documents.

“We don’t know yet their basis in saying that the instrument in the attack in Jakarta came from the Philippines. We have a memorandum of understanding with the Indonesian National Police and soon, we will be able to get the documents,” Marquez said in an interview at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

According to The Wall Street Journal report on Sunday, INP spokesman Anton Charliyan said that 12 people arrested in the raids disclosed the information that the guns, described as “well-built,” came from the Philippines.

Charliyan added that another nine guns seized in the counterterrorism raids in Jakarta since Thursday came from another neighboring country.

Marquez said the information was new because what they have heard were reports that several firearms from the Philippines were being smuggled into Taiwan and Japan.

The PNP chief said they remain on full alert after the bombing in Indonesia to thwart any attack in the country.

“We raised our alert level after the bombing in Jakarta and we will try to assess towards the middle of this week if we can downgrade to one notch lower or be on heightened alert because of election operations,” he said.

Marquez maintained there were no specific terrorist threats monitored by intelligence units.

Still allegations

For the Armed Forces of the Philippines, reports that guns used in the terror attack in Jakarta came from the Philippines were mere allegations for now.

“The AFP has no report on this,” Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesman said.

However, Padilla is not discounting the possibility since Indonesia shares a maritime border with the Philippines.

“We were surprised, but anything can happen anywhere. That’s why we said the threat of terrorism is something that you have to guard against every moment of the day,” Padilla said.

On Thursday, Indonesia’s capital was attacked by suicide bombers. They struck at a Starbucks cafe in a shopping area and started a gunfight with the police.

The terror attacks claimed eight lives, allegedly consisting of four civilians and four attackers.

The terrorist group Islamic State took responsibility for the attack last Thursday through Twitter, noting that it was funded by the IS in Syria.

A report of the Associated Press particularly mentioned that the IS attack was funded through an Indonesian who spent a year in jail for illegal possession of weapons in 2011. He was identified by INP chief General Badrodin Haita as Bahrun Naim. – With Jaime Laude