By Joyce Pangco Pañares
The Manila Standard TodayTAGBILARAN CITY—Police on Wednesday arrested a suspected Abu Sayyaf bomber on a ferry in Cebu on his way to Metro Manila with “enough explosives to kill hundreds of people,†an official said yesterday.
Police arrested the man a day before President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo arrived in Bohol Thursday for the first Local Peace and Security Assembly. National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales described him as a Muslim in his early 20s.
“I cannot divulge the name yet because the investigation is still ongoing,†Gonzales said.
“We suspect that he is a member of the Abu Sayyaf and he was on his way from Zamboanga to Manila to meet probably some people there to prepare for an attack.â€
Gonzales made his statement even as the head of Metro Manila’s military force deployed more than 2,000 soldiers—including sea marshals—to fight terrorists planning attacks in the metropolis, where both the police and military are on red alert.
“We have deployed about 100 sea marshals [to ride ferry boats],†Maj. Gen. Ben Mohammed Dolorfino said in Manila.
“The spillover [of the conflict in Mindanao to Metro Manila] is always possible as shown by the bombing incidents in the national capital region in the past,†he said.
Gonzalez denied that the man arrested in Cebu had intended to launch his attack here in Bohol, where the President spent the night to deliver her closing remarks for the assembly today.
“He was carrying enough explosives to kill hundreds of people especially if placed in a mall—enough to do maximum damage,†Gonzales said.
The man’s arrest came days after the President urged the public to be vigilant against retaliatory attacks from people sympathizing with the Abu Sayyaf bandits, who continue to suffer heavy casualties in Basilan and Sulu.
The President first went to Basilan before proceeding to Bohol to praise the soldiers who have been fighting the Abu Sayyaf since last month, and who have killed 81 of the bandits while suffering 57 dead.
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Topic: Suspected Abu Sayyaf bomber arrested on a Cebu boat (Read 1367 times)