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2 Muslim Men With Bomb Arrested In Manila
Philippine authorities have uncovered a bomb plot in the capital, Manila, after arresting two Muslim men with a homemade explosive near a cathedral and the elections commission office, the military said Sunday. Military intelligence agents and policemen detained the two men late Saturday in Manilaâs historic Intramuros district with a 60mm mortar round converted into a bomb that could be detonated using a cell phone, the military said in a statement. It didnât mention a suspected target. Authorities were hunting for other people believed to be involved in the suspected bomb plot based on information from the two men, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero. The military appealed to Manila residents to remain calm and vigilant. Information from recently arrested terror suspects helped the military and police foil "a terrorist plan to sabotage an installation in Intramuros," and to arrest the would-be saboteurs, the military said. It didnât provide details. Authorities arrested the two men in a van parked on a dimly lit street near a square where the Manila Cathedral and the national elections commission office are located, officials said. Metropolitan Manila police chief Ricardo de Leon said the bomb found in their possession was ready to be detonated. Michael Defensor, a spokesman for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a frontrunner in the May 10 presidential elections, said her three-day campaign trip starting Tuesday in southern and central provinces has been canceled due to fears of attacks by Muslim extremists. Defensor didnât elaborate, but said the threats were serious enough "for us to change the last leg of the campaign." Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita said he didnât think the foiled bomb plot would affect the timing of the elections but called on candidates to refrain from "excessive partisan politics that may render the situation vulnerable to exploitation by terrorist elements." Security forces have been on heightened alert ahead of the elections, and because of concerns over possible terrorist attacks. Arroyo announced on March 30 the arrests of suspected members of the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf who allegedly planned to use a cache of TNT to carry out bombings in Manila. Police said one suspect admitted planting a bomb on a ferry in late February that triggered a fire, killing more than 100 people. Posted by: TS (vice girl) 2004-05-02 |
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