TNT was main ingredient in Batasan bomb – PNP

The National Police on Thursday said TNT or trinitrotoluene was the chief explosive material used in the bomb that ripped the Batasan Complex in Quezon City last Tuesday and killed four people. "Our team from the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) has established that the main charge that was used in the blast was TNT. So, if that's TNT, it could have been dynamite sticks," said Police Dir. Geary Barias, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO). Barias said TNT is a controlled chemical that requires a permit of the Firearms and Explosives Division (FED) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) prior to purchase. He said TNT is used in quarrying, mining and illegal fishing activities. Investigators also found PETN – an explosive booster – as a detonating cord, a cellular phone as command activator, and nails as shrapnel. Barias refused to identify the groups that use this type of bomb but he acknowledged that this was commonly used in past bombings in Mindanao such as the Malagutay bombing in 2002, wherein the improvised explosive device used was also mounted on a motorcycle. Barias said they are now tracing the ownership of the motorcycle used in the Batasan blast through its bar code. "It is from there that they're working on right now … in order to determine the owners of the motorcycle, and then track who was in possession of that motorcycle at the time of the blast," he said. He said the police investigation team is also still finding out the threats against the life of Basilan Rep. Wahab Akbar, one of the four fatalities, and believed to be the target of the blast. The team is headed by Senior Superintendent Magtanggol Gatdula, chief of the Quezon City police. Barias said it would be wise if another investigating team will be created to look into the possible lapses of the security personnel inside the Batasan Complex prior to the blast. He said that at the time of the blast, personnel from the Police Security and Protection Office, and a private security agency were securing the complex. - GMANews.TV