Troops seize cache of bomb materials in Jolo raid

MANILA, Philippines – A planned bombing campaign by the Abu Sayyaf group in the southern island of Jolo was aborted with the confiscation on Friday of a cache of explosive materials from an alleged supplier for the militants, the military said. A joint team of Jolo police officers and elements of the 2nd and 3rd Marine Brigades seized the explosive materials during a raid early Friday afternoon, said a military press statement. Lt. Col. Edgard A. Arevalo, military spokesman for the Sulu ICRC Kidnapping crisis, said raiders confiscated 3,600 pieces of blasting caps casings, 900 pieces of ready blasting caps, 13 rolls (at 7 meters each) of time blasting fuse, 14 sacks (at 25 kg each) ammonium nitrate, a sack (25 kg) of potassium chlorate, 13 kg additional ammonium nitrate, a 40mm-caliber pistol with14 rounds of live ammunition, a Nokia cellular telephone with battery and P80,000 cash in P1,000 denomination, and a passport owned by Hadji Nahrin Abud Akmad. Acting on a tip, the raiders led by Senior Inspector Usman Salih Pingay Sr. of the Jolo police swooped down on the residence of Hadji Nahrim in Barangay Chinese Pier in Jolo town, the statement said. The statement indicated that Hadki Nahrin managed to escape arrest, apparent having learned about the impending search and seizure operations. It said the reported owner of the house is an alleged supplier of explosive components to the Abu Sayyaf, which had been blamed by authorities for past bombing incidents in Sulu, the latest of which was the laying of a land mine in Barangay Latih in Patikul, Sulu on April 3. Six Marines were wounded when the M35 truck carrying them was hit by the land mine. The statement said the explosive devices and components seized on Friday were reportedly to be used by the Abu Sayyaf in a bombing campaign to disrupt military operations meant to rescue the two volunteers of the International Committee of the Red Cross who are being held by the bandits in Jolo. Intelligence report gathered indicates that the bombing operations are to be directed against civilians and military personnel both to divert attention from the constricting operations the security forces are conducting and to terrorize the people of Sulu," said the statement. - GMANews.TV