TWO suspects in last Sunday’s deadly bombing at the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City that left four people dead and 50 others injured were identified by police authorities yesterday.
PNP spokeswoman Col. Jean Fajardo named the suspects as Kadapi Mimbesa, alias Engineer; and Arsani Membisa, who carries the aliases Khatab, Hatab and Lapitos. Their pictures were released to the media.
Fajardo said the two persons of interest (POI) are members of the Daulah Islamiyah-Maute Group, which is blamed for bombings and other atrocities in Mindanao.
Fajardo said Membisa has two standing arrest warrants for murder and Mimbesa one standing arrest warrant but did not provide details.
“Why do we have their pictures? It’s because they were involved in bombing incidents (in the past),” said Fajardo.
She said the two used improvised explosive devices in past attacks in the Lanao provinces. The IEDs were fashioned from 60 mm mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, the same type of IED used in last Sunday’s attack.
Officials earlier said the two were seen by witnesses at MSU last Sunday shortly before the blast at the campus gym at around 7:30 a.m. while a mass was ongoing.
“One of the suspects, Kadali Mimbesa, alias Engineer, was seen with a bag which we believed contained the bomb,” said Fajardo.
Based on closed-circuit television footage outside the MSU, Fajardo said the two arrived at the scene at 6:27 a.m.
“Before the explosion, they can be seen leaving the MSU and one of the POIs, appeared making a call, using his cellphone. That might have triggered the explosion,” said Fajardo.
“Immediately, they left MSU after one of the POIs made the call,” said Fajardo.
Fajardo said Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police are already preparing documents preparatory to the filing of criminal charges against the two.
She said investigations are also underway to verify if two other individuals outside the MSU served as lookouts.
Fajardo said the PNP received seven bomb threats yesterday — six in Manila, specifically at the Department of Budget and Management, National Economic Development Authority, National Museum and Department of Labor and Employment; and one at the Pangil Elementary School in Pangil, Laguna.
Fajardo said the personnel of the government offices and the students and staff of the Laguna school were asked to leave the buildings.
She said responding policemen searched the buildings and found no bomb.
Fajardo said the bomb threats were spread through email, sent by one Takahiro Karasawa, supposedly a Japanese lawyer, who she said might be riding on the issue of the Marawi City bombing.
Fajardo warned the public against spreading such bomb threats. She said such an offense is punishable with a minimum of five years of imprisonment and a fine of not less than P40,000.
Maj. Gen. Gabriel Viray III, commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said they had already restored peace and order in Marawi City after the bombing.
“We restored it immediately after the bombing. We deployed one company (of soldiers) from the Task Force Marawi as well as one company from the PNP inside the campus,” said Viray.
“We increased our presence there (in Marawi), we’re conducting checkpoints, heightened our alert,” said Viray.
Viray said the increased military and police presence in the city has “lessened” the fear of the communities.
Viray also said government troops have launched operations against the perpetrators and their group.
“Combat operations against the Maute are ongoing. We cannot say the details because these are operational matters but the troops are on the ground,” said Viray
AFP public affairs office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said there was still no armed engagement with the suspects or members of their group as of yesterday.
“As of now, there’s is none… While the PNP is investigating, we (the military) are continuing our efforts to run after these perpetrators,” said Trinidad.
‘LOCAL TERRORISTS’
The four persons of interest in the MSU bombing are all “local terrorists.”
This was disclosed by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri after emerging from a closed-door briefing by the PNP, AFP, and other intelligence agencies to provide lawmakers updates on national security matters.
Zubiri, however, declined to give additional details since the information was from an executive session with security officials.
Zubiri urged the local government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to monitor the radicalization of its citizens to prevent similar bombings and other terroristic attacks in the future.
“I think in every situation there can be a problem in radicalization whether you’re far right, far left or in this case, it’s religious radicalization. So, there is a need to monitor these extremists,” he said. — With Raymond Africa
