 | This was a close one. I'm not even sure the danger is over yet. I find myself worrying that Sunday will be a bloody day as the Paleos have their selection. |
Philippines police arrested 16 Islamic militants planning to carry out suicide bombings on a Roman Catholic procession in the capital this weekend. The suspects, including three women, were detained after police raided a Muslim library in downtown Manila. | The first clue was when they asked for the Tagalog version of "The Anarchist's Cookbook." |
Most appeared to be Filipino, with two of the suspects denying being part of a terrorist plot."The scenario is, these would be the suicide bombers in the Feast of the Black Nazarene," said Senior Superintendent Elmer Jamias, referring to an annual Catholic procession in downtown Manila on Sunday. "They would rig their bodies with bombs, join the procession, and blow themselves up. God made sure this would not happen," Jamias told reporters Friday.No, the Manila cops did. Give yourselves a pat on the back. And triple quintuple the security at the parade. |
"We seized three improvised explosive devices, a caliber .45 and a caliber .38 guns," said Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong, Manila's police chief. Journalists on the scene said grenades were also found. "Had we not recovered these bombs and arrested these people, the procession could have turned into a bloodbath," Jamias said. Police later showed reporters an inventory of bomb-making equipment seized in and the guns on the floor of the Islamic Information Center on the upper floor of an office building in central Manila.| "Thank you for calling the Manila Islamic Information Center. Your call is very important to us...also your mad skilz with high explosives." |
Jamias said the suspects were members of a movement known as "Return to Islam" movement, made up of former Christians who have converted to Islam.The authorities are checking whether any of the suspects have ties to Islamic militants operating abroad, said Avelino Razon, the director of the Manila region's police forces. The detained suspects later denied plotting a terrorist attack or hoarding explosives. "All of them (evidence) were planted," cried a woman suspect who identified herself as Shaliba Asan. "Do I look like a terrorist?" said an older man, who called himself Arabsi Agwan.| Do we have to answer that? |
|