[1/4]Lanao Del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. stands among police officers as they investigate the site of an explosion that occurred during a Catholic mass at a gymnasium of the Mindanao State University in Marawi, Philippines, December 3, 2023. Provincial Government of Lanao Del Sur/Handout on…Acquiring License Rights Read more
MANILA, Dec 3 (Portal) – Philippine armed forces were on high alert on Sunday after a bomb killed four people and injured several during a Catholic mass at a university gym in the south of the country. Authorities described this attack as Islamist terrorism.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the senseless and most heinous acts of foreign terrorists,” said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “Extremists who use violence against innocent people will always be considered enemies of our society.”
The explosion in Marawi, a city under siege by Islamic State militants for five months in 2017, followed the killing of 11 combatants in a military operation on Friday in Maguindanao del Sur, about 200 km (125 miles) away.
Marcos urged calm, posting on the social media platform
“Rest assured that we will bring the perpetrators of this reckless act to justice.”
Army Gen. Gabriel Viray III called the attack on Mindanao State University “a terrorist attack” and spoke to reporters as explosive ordnance disposal experts were deployed.
“Right now we are on heightened alert and our troops remain vigilant as we determine the motive and identify the perpetrators to truly find out who is behind this,” Viray said.
Military officials examined the gymnasium, which appeared to be intact except for burn marks in the center where the explosion occurred, according to images shared by the Lanao del Sur government on its Facebook account. White plastic chairs were scattered around.
Videos posted by DZBB radio on X showed rescuers carrying injured people out of the gym on plastic chairs.
“Terrorist attacks on educational institutions must also be condemned because they are places that promote the culture of peace,” Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. said in a statement.
The Philippine military killed 11 militants on Saturday, including members of the Dawlah Islamiyah-Philippines group, in an operation that recovered 10 high-powered firearms and three explosive devices.
“We are looking at the signature of the bomb to determine whether the group is actually behind it,” Viray said.
The Coast Guard said in a statement it had directed its districts to intensify pre-departure inspections at ports.
Mindanao State University was “deeply saddened and appalled by the violence that occurred during a religious gathering,” it said in a statement on Facebook. “We condemn this senseless and terrible act in the strongest possible terms.”
The university announced that it was suspending classes until further notice.
Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales and Karen Lema; Edited by William Mallard
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