This is an update on this story: Philippines probes foreign angle in church blast - Yahoo! Singapore News
Major Randolph Cabangbang said investigators were probing whether Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), the group behind the Bali bombings, may have been involved in the blast outside the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic cathedral.If they didn't have enough with the MILF now they have also terrorists belonging to JI. This is not the first time a Cathedral is bombed in the Philippines and JI the main suspect. Last year, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral from Zamboanga was also bombed, with no casualties though:
He told reporters a number of JI militants are "here in the country."
Known members of the group Dulmatin, Umar Patek, and Zulkifli bin Hir are thought to be operating in the southern Philippines, he said, but added that there was no proof as yet they were involved.
Tags Technorati: Philippines, MILF, JI, Jemaah Islamiyah, Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Cathedral, Dulmatin,Police have been placed on the highest level of security following the dawn explosions in Zamboanga city, regional police Chief Superintendent Jaime Caringal said. Government troops and police had already tightened security in the town for a weeklong national sports festival and a medical conference, he said.
Zamboanga, about 860 kilometers (530 miles) south of Manila, is home to U.S. troops providing counterterrorism training to Filipino soldiers. The military says the region is home to more than 300 armed members of the al-Qada-linked Abu Sayyaf (aka JI) terror group.
