Muslim preacher dies in grenade blast

PIKIT, North Cotabato , Philippines  – A Muslim preacher was killed while seven others were injured when an unidentified man, disguised as worshiper, lobbed a fragmentation grenade inside a mosque in an interior village in Pikit, North Cotabato on the eve of the May 10 polls.

North Cotabato’s provincial police said investigators have yet to determine if the grenade attack was politically-motivated. The preacher, Kautin Samsudin, died on the spot from multiple shrapnel wounds. Seven worshipers were injured in the blast, now undergoing medication at different hospitals.

Witnesses said a lone suspect, clad in blue jacket and denim pants, casually approached the mosque in Barangay Batulawan in Pikit, positioned himself near an open window and, from there, tossed a Mark II fragmentation grenade at the worshipers.