Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 7) — The Philippine National Police has filed criminal charges against eight suspects behind the January bombing of a passenger bus in North Cotabato, which killed one and wounded two others.
The eight individuals, said to be part of the organized crime group Al Khobar, were identified by authorities on Sunday as Salahudin Hassa, Lutre Aman, Tasly Saligan, Norodrin Haman, Datu Ali Camsa, Sandali Sindatok, Jordan Kamad, and Tahir Abubakar.
They now face murder and frustrated murder charges for the blast, which occurred on Jan. 27 at Brgy. Sibsib, North Cotabato, PNP said. The incident claimed the life of a 53-year-old fruit vendor.
“We have ongoing police operations to scour the areas in Mindanao in pursuit of this terrorist group,” police chief General Debold Sinas said.
According to PNP, the Al Khobar group was formed out of a dismantled team of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the early 2000s and “was responsible for extortion and bombing activities in Central Mindanao.”
The alleged perpetrators are also members of the Dawlah Islamiya-Hassan group, it added.
Investigation showed the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device, which functioned through wireless command detonation. The eight accused were singled out by witnesses who were shown photos of those who could possibly be responsible for the incident, Sinas said.
