‘Massive’ manhunt for suspects of Islamic State claimed Catholic mass bombing begins in Philippines

Name: Survivors of Philippines Catholic church bombing recall deadly blast
Uploaded: 2023-12-04T08:58:04.000Z
Duration: 3 min 55 s
Description: Survivors of Philippines Catholic church bombing recall deadly blast

Police are looking into 2 suspects they believe were behind the blast during Sunday mass that killed 4 people in Marawi, which Islamic State militants claimed

Marawi is in an area known as Bangsamoro, an underdeveloped Muslim region in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, that battled with lawlessness for decades

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Military personnel stand guard at the entrance of a gymnasium while police investigators look for evidence after a bomb attack that killed at least four people in the Philippines on Sunday. Photo: TNS

Reuters

Published: 4:58pm, 4 Dec 2023Updated: 8:28pm, 4 Dec 2023

A “massive” manhunt is under way for the attackers who bombed a Catholic Mass that killed four people in the southern Philippines, a senior military officer said on Monday, vowing to do everything possible to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Police are looking into at least two suspects they believe were behind the blast, which Islamic State militants claimed.

“As we speak, there’s an ongoing massive operation to hunt these terrorist groups or suspected perpetrators of the bombing,” William Gonzales, Western Mindanao Command chief, told reporters after a security meeting in Marawi city.

The bomb went off on Sunday during a service at a university gymnasium in Marawi, a city left in ruins in 2017 by a five-month military campaign to end an occupation by Islamic State loyalists that had triggered alarm across Asia.

“[We have persons] of interest, but the investigation is still ongoing. In order not to pre-empt the investigation, we will not divulge the names,” regional police chief Allan Nobleza told GMA News, adding that one of the suspects was linked to a local militant group.

The United States condemned the “horrific terrorist attack” and said it stood with Filipinos in rejecting violence, joining a chorus of support from countries including Japan, Australia, Britain, China and Canada.

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Survivors of Philippines Catholic church bombing recall deadly blast

“We mourn those killed in the attack, and our thoughts are with the injured,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.