Attack in Mindanao comes days after peace deal
Police examine the scene of a bomb blast (Photo Cong Corrales)
Two people were killed in a bomb attack outside a hotel in the southern city of Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao today.
Authorities said an improvised explosive device exploded outside the city’s Maxandria Hotel at around 2 a.m. local time.
Another device, found in front of the hotel under a parked car, was defused. The car belonged to a local television station.
Police said the two victims killed by the blast were a bartender from a nearby pub and a male passer-by.
“It was a small device,” a senior police officer who requested anonymity told ucanews.com.
He said a mobile phone was probably used to activate it. “It was not planted to cause extensive damage,” he said, adding that the motive behind the attack was still unclear.
The officer said it was unlikely that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which signed a peace deal with the government earlier this week, was behind the explosion.
“It was not made using an 88mm mortar, which is a usual component in bombs made by the MILF,” he said.
Officials were checking whether anyone in the hotel might have been the target.
“We need to determine if this attack was intended for someone who checked in,” a source said. He added that a man in a white shirt had planted the devices while another was acting as a look-out.
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Authorities said an improvised explosive device exploded outside the city’s Maxandria Hotel at around 2 a.m. local time.
Another device, found in front of the hotel under a parked car, was defused. The car belonged to a local television station.
Police said the two victims killed by the blast were a bartender from a nearby pub and a male passer-by.
“It was a small device,” a senior police officer who requested anonymity told ucanews.com.
He said a mobile phone was probably used to activate it. “It was not planted to cause extensive damage,” he said, adding that the motive behind the attack was still unclear.
The officer said it was unlikely that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which signed a peace deal with the government earlier this week, was behind the explosion.
“It was not made using an 88mm mortar, which is a usual component in bombs made by the MILF,” he said.
Officials were checking whether anyone in the hotel might have been the target.
“We need to determine if this attack was intended for someone who checked in,” a source said. He added that a man in a white shirt had planted the devices while another was acting as a look-out.
SHARED FROM UCAN
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