ISIS claims responsibility for Quiapo blast
MANILA, Philippines (Updated 9:14 p.m.) — The so-called Islamic State (IS, or ISIS) has claimed the bombing in a busy Manila district on Friday night, the group's news agency reported, contradicting police statements that it was not connected to terrorism.
Amaq News Agency, the news outfit of IS, announced on Saturday that the group had already claimed responsibility for the bombing in Quiapo district at the heart of Manila, according to SITE Intelligence Group.
On Friday night, police reported that a bomb went off along Quezon Boulevard in Quiapo at 10:49 p.m. The incident left 14 people in injured.
The claim of IS, however, can also be just a ploy as it regularly claims bombings in many parts of the world in the past and bloats the number of fatalities. Philippine authorities, moreover, have yet to react to the report.
Oscar Albayalde, the regional police chief in the National Capital Region (NCR), initially said that the pipe bomb was a retaliation to the mauling of a minor by three individuals.
He also doused speculations last night that the explosion was a terrorist attack.
“Hindi terror attack ang nangyaring pagsabog at walang kaugnayan sa ASEAN Summit 2017,” Albayalde was quoted by a radio report.
The bombing occurred as Manila hosts a meeting of the leaders of southeast Asian nations this week. As part of the preparations for the summit, security measures were heightened in the capital to prevent any untoward incident from happening.
Source:Philippine Star
Amaq News Agency, the news outfit of IS, announced on Saturday that the group had already claimed responsibility for the bombing in Quiapo district at the heart of Manila, according to SITE Intelligence Group.
On Friday night, police reported that a bomb went off along Quezon Boulevard in Quiapo at 10:49 p.m. The incident left 14 people in injured.
The claim of IS, however, can also be just a ploy as it regularly claims bombings in many parts of the world in the past and bloats the number of fatalities. Philippine authorities, moreover, have yet to react to the report.
Oscar Albayalde, the regional police chief in the National Capital Region (NCR), initially said that the pipe bomb was a retaliation to the mauling of a minor by three individuals.
He also doused speculations last night that the explosion was a terrorist attack.
“Hindi terror attack ang nangyaring pagsabog at walang kaugnayan sa ASEAN Summit 2017,” Albayalde was quoted by a radio report.
The bombing occurred as Manila hosts a meeting of the leaders of southeast Asian nations this week. As part of the preparations for the summit, security measures were heightened in the capital to prevent any untoward incident from happening.
Source:Philippine Star
