MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine military backed the findings of Indonesia's police that an Indonesian couple was behind the suicide bombing of a church in Jolo, Sulu in January.
Marine Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the military shared notes and provided vital information with their Indonesian counterparts.
"Those data were based from our own inquiry and intelligence contributed to their deliberations that led to this confirmation," Arevalo said in a statement.
The military spokesman said the latest development highlights the importance of information sharing among counties in the region, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.
"Not only on matters with relevance to the military, but also those that impact on the police to bolster our security postures," Arevalo said.
According to a report from Kyodo News, Indonesian police confirmed that the couple behind the Sulu cathedral bombing were Rullie Rian Zeke and his wife Ulfah Handayani Saleh.
Islamic State-affiliated Yoga Febrianto, who was arrested in Malaysia last month, identified the perpetrators.
Another Islamist militant Novendri confirmed this confession. He was arrested by Indonesian police on Friday.
The couple reportedly left for Syria through Turkey in 2016 to join the Islamic State. Turkish authorities caught them early January and they were deported to Indonesia.
The January 27 bombing of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo killed more than 20 people and left over 80 others wounded. — Patricia Lourdes Viray