Two persons including a village official were wounded in the blast here Friday morning, which the police have blamed on members of Al-Qaeda affiliated Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). The local police office corrected conflicting initial reports citing only one was hurt in the explosion that occurred around 11:10 a.m. in front of the H and F Refreshment Parlor situated along Makakua St., a commercial area in this city. The victims were identified as Max Malang Uttoh, a village official from Sultan sa Barongis, Shariff Kabunsuan province and Fatima Diocolano, an employee of a city-based insurance company.Two other homemade explosives attached to the exploding bomb were disarmed by responding Army bomb disposal experts who responded to the scene. All three bombs were later found to have been fashioned from 60-mm mortar explosives, a signature bomb manufacturing of both JI and Abu Sayyaf terror groups.
In a related development, Supt. Peraco Macacua, city police director, claimed to have intercepted an intelligence report last week citing JI militants, along with Abu Sayyaf allies, would stage a series of attacks in retaliation to the filing of murder charges against JI fugitives Omar Patek and Dulmatin in connection with the October 2006 bombings in Central Mindanao that killed at least 10 persons. "This is a handiwork of the JI and Abu Sayyaf militants," the police official stressed. An update said security alert status has been raised in the entire South Central Mindanao region following the bomb attack here.