Grenade attack not act of terror: police

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent

POLICE have ruled out the grenade attack in Iligan city as a handiwork of terrorists, and started looking into the possibility that it was related to the illegal drugs trade.

Supt. Leony Roy Ga, Iligan police director, yesterday said investigators have more reason to believe that the grenade was exploded at the city public plaza on Wednesday night because of the ongoing “war on illegal drugs.”

Ga told local radio the target was like the officers at a police station.

“Pagpaboto granada gyud because of the safety pin remover recovered… because of the active campaign of the Police Station No. 5 against illegal drugs. They could have been the target. Ang among theory ang intention adto is Police Station No. 5,” Ga said.

Police said it was also evident that the Maute terrorist group, the target of military offensives in Butig, Lanao del Sur, had nothing to do with the Iligan explosion.

“Bomba gyud pud ang gamiton sa terror group if they attack,” he said.

Ga said traces of the explosive did not bear the mark of the Maute group.

He said the Maute group uses improvised explosive devices fashioned from mortar projectiles with electronic triggering devices that could be activated with the use of  mobile phones.

He said investigators examined a circuit-television camera recording, and they noted that the grenade was lobbed at the time when the police station’s patrol car came.

Ga said the police car was sounding off its siren at the time of the grenade attack because of an anti-drug operation.

He said officers from the police station recently arrested drug suspects and confiscated vehicles during a raid.

“Murag naapikan og nakuratan ang suspect, mao nga didto niya na-itsa sa plaza,” he said.

He said investigators also noted that there was really no intention on the part of the assailant to cause so much damage.

“There were also suspicions that the suspect could just be trying to intimidate the police because the grenade was lobbed a few meters away from the city police station,” he said.

The explosion did not result in deaths but a group of young people were hurt and rushed to the hospital. The victims were identified as Laureto Carabantes, 26, Cristine Mercaderos, 20, Cheryl Paquit, 26 and Shielamae Maagad, 23.

Investigators have been seeking more copies of security camera recordings from other establishments in the area in an effort to identify the suspect.

“Ma-identify gyud ang suspect nga midagan human sa iyang paglabay,” Ga said.

He said police were also in the process of producing a computerized facial sketch of the suspect based on the description of witnesses.

“Ang istorya wala gyud nag-bonnet ang suspect. Naay bonnet pero igo lang niya gibutang sa iyang ulo. The suspect did not cover his face. Wala siya mag-cover, and there is a big possibility that the suspect would be identified anytime,” Ga said.

The Iligan city hall has offered a P100-thousand reward for anyone who could provide useful information that could lead in the arrest of the grenade thrower. He gave a hotline: 0917-712-7411. (with reports from pna)