Police say that they are searching for four “persons of interest” in connection with a powerful blast in the southern Philippines that killed 14 people and wounded 71 others.
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The European Union (EU) has extended sympathies to the relatives of those killed in the blast that hit a night market in Davao City Friday night.
“We’re trying to cope with a crisis now”.
“They are doing this to sympathize (with) our group and we are sending a message to President Rodrigo Duterte that all the Daulat throughout the country is not afraid of him”, he said.
Meanwhile, authorities have yet to confirm the claim of Abu Sayyaf’s involvement in the explosion. The newly-elected president has been active in the crackdown of drug syndicates around the country which has resulted to more than 2,000 drug-related deaths since July 1.
“While nobody has owned up to this act, we can only assume that this was perpetrated by the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf that has suffered heavy casualties”, Lorenzana was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Rami, the Abu Sayyaf spokesman, is the son-in-low of Mohammad Said, an influential militant commander who used the nom de guerre Amah Maas and was killed in the ongoing Sulu offensive.
A “state of lawless violence” has been declared before, in 2003, by then President Gloria Arroyo in response to two blasts, one outside an airport and another at a wharf, in Davao that left 38 people dead.
For years the group has carried out bombings, beheadings, assassinations and kidnappings while evading capture in lawless jungles of remote southern Philippine islands.
Police said they could not yet determine if the latest blast was caused by a bomb and an investigation was now underway.
Mr Duterte had described Friday’s bombing as terrorism and imposed a “state of lawlessness” in the country on Saturday, which gave the military extra powers to conduct law enforcement operations normally done only by the police, such as conducting searches and setting up checkpoints.
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Duterte’s Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the president would forge ahead with what would be his first overseas trips, although he was initially reluctant. The decree of national emergency was signed by Duterte shortly before setting off towards Lao to take part in the summit of the Association of Nations of the Asian Southeast (Adorn).
