Bomb scare hits Manila

A bag containing a suspected explosive device and a grenade have been found separately at a Light Rail Transit (LRT) station and near the Bureau of Immigration building in Intramuros, Manila, but were not linked to attempted terror attacks, police said yesterday.

A bulging leather bag containing assorted bullets was left near one of the stores below the UN Avenue station of LRT last Wednesday night and was mistaken for a bomb, sending panic among commuters and pedestrians in the area.

Police immediately cordoned off the area after receiving reports of the presence of the suspicious bag, which was producing a light ticking sound.

When bomb disposal experts of the Western Police District opened the leather container they found no explosive device.

What produced the ticking sound were 20 pieces of caliber .38 bullets, an M-203 bullet and a fan knife, a bomb disposal expert said. Bomb experts said there was no way the bullets could be exploded.

Witnesses said they saw a man leave the leather container on top of several softdrink cases near one of the stores at the northbound portion of the LRT station at about 10 p.m.

Some police officers said the man could have panicked and left his package when he saw the presence of a parked patrol car several yards away. They said the bag was likely abandoned by criminals who preyed on drivers and passengers of passenger jeepneys.

Some police officers said the bag may have been left behind by a security guard in the area.

In the second incident, a street sweeper discovered an MK2 fragmentation grenade in a park behind the Bureau of Immigration building in Intramuros area.

Inspector Rudy Supsupin, chief of the WPD-Explosives and Ordnance Division (WPD-EOD), said the grenade, wrapped with yellow tape, was found by street sweeper Angelina Dimanglig at around 6:30 a.m. Dimanglig immediately called the police.

Supsupin said the grenade could have been left in the area by accident and was not intended to harm anyone since the pin was still intact.

The two discoveries were not related and should not be a cause for concern, police said.