Investigators probing the Catholic cathedral bombing that killed 21 people in the Philippines’ restive south say a group tied to notorious Islamist Abu Sayyaf is the prime suspect.
Two explosions tore through the cathedral on the Muslim-majority island of Jolo yesterday, killing worshipers at Sunday mass and security forces in an attack claimed by the Islamic State terror group.
In this photo provided by WESMINCOM Armed Forces of the Philippines, a soldier views the site inside a Roman Catholic cathedral in Jolo, the capital of Sulu province in the southern Philippines after two bombs exploded January 27, 2019. (WESMINCOM Armed Forces of the Philippines Via AP)
Authorities say the so-called Ajang-Ajang faction is a small band of several dozen that most likely carried out the bombing, the Philippines’ worst in years, in an act of revenge.
“Last year their leader was killed. There have been persistent reports that they will retaliate,” regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana tells AFP.
“Yes, we saw them in the CCTV. It was the brother of the leader who was killed,” he says referring to footage from outside the cathedral. “He was seen with two other members of Ajang-Ajang.”
Security forces say the group is composed of relatives of Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group members who have been killed in clashes with the government.
— AFP
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