Plot to bomb Metro facilities foiled

A combined police and military operatives foiled an attempt by a terrorist group to conduct terroristic attacks in Metro Manila following the arrest yesterday of a suspected bomber in Taguig. The suspect, Mariano Lomarda, was monitored casing strategic areas in Metro Manila apparently before conducting attacks to sympathize with the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) when arrested by operatives of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).

Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco said Lomarda, who uses the aliases Ahmad and Nonoy, is a Balik-Islam leader and a member of the Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM). He too, is part of the case Operation Plan "Phoenix 3" launched by the NCRPO.

Velasco commended NCRPO and ISAFP operatives for the timely discovery of Lomarda’s "diabolical plot to sow terror in Metro Manila."

Senior Superintendent Gil Meneses, NCRPO’s intelligence chief said that Lomarda was arrested on Monday at the PNR Site Compound, Western Bicutan, Taguig around 12:30 p.m. The raiders were armed with a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Afable Cajigal of Camiling Tarlac Regional Trial Court Branch 68 for illegal possession of explosives, firearms and ammunitions.

During his arrest, Lomarda yielded two hand grenades and cellular phones containing text messages and numbers of suspected Muslim extremists.

Meneses said Lomarda gained notoriety when some of his comrades were apprehended in Tarlac last year before they could sow terror in the city. Lomarda was able to escape but his name was squealed by his cohorts.

Velasco said a Magic Eye volunteer reported Lomarda’s presence through text messages. The informant said Lomarda and his group are already conducting surveillance and casing strategic areas in Metro Manila prior to the implementation of their terroristic plans.

Meneses said Lomarda was already subjected to tactical interrogation by his men. However, he refused to reveal their initial findings for fear of jeopardizing follow-up operations to recover explosives believed to have been hidden by the terrorist group.

Police said yesterday they have foiled a plot by Islamic militants to bomb key installations in Manila following the arrest of a man with links to Filipino Muslim rebels.

Security in all vital installations across the country has been on heightened alert following the March 4 bombing of the Davao City airport, the deadliest blast since the Bali carnage in October last year.

The 12,500 strong MILF, which has been waging a 24-year insurgency to setup an Islamic state in Mindanao has denied charges that they were behind the airport bombing.