PNP on heightened alert for 9/11 anniversary

The Philippine National Police went on heightened alert Friday in anticipation of possible terrorist sympathy attacks on the eighth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001. PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Leonardo Espina said they have not monitored any threat so far, but said the heightened alert is part of their "proactive approach." "Wala tayong natatanggap pero pinangungunahan natin sila para masiguradong walang mangyayari. Naging proactive ang PNP to alert all 17 regional directors baka may isagawang di magandang gawain ang kriminal o terorista sapagka't ngayong araw ang anibersaryo ng 9/11," Espina said in an interview on dzXL radio. (We have not received any intelligence report of any attack. But we want to make sure nothing untoward happens, so we took a proactive approach. We alerted all 17 regional directors to be on alert.) He said that as of 7 a.m. Friday, "everything is normal," though police will remain on "heightened vigilance" the rest of the day. Espina also said the police have tapped "force multipliers" such as village watchmen and private security guards to inform them if they see something suspicious. "Mapayapa (It is peaceful), everything is normal [and] the situation is under control. Heightened vigilance ang pulis with the help of the community," Espina said. The PNP has heightened its alert every September 11 since the 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, to watch out for possible sympathy attacks in the Philippines. The attacks, blamed on Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network, claimed thousands of lives. Authorities said the Abu Sayyaf bandit group operating in southern Philippines has links to the al-Qaeda terror network. Likewise, the military and police are pursuing operatives of the Jemaah Islamiyah, described as the al-Qaeda arm in the southeast Asian region. - GMANews.TV