ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 27, 2014) – A village chieftain whose house was bombed in Zamboanga City has tagged the Abu Sayyaf group as behind the weekend attack that wounded three people.
Tictabon village chieftain Mohammad Nur Attang told police that prior to the attack, an unidentified man, who claimed to be a member of the Abu Sayyaf, was extorting money from him.
When Attang refused, an improvised bomb exploded outside his house in Mampang village and wounded two minors, including his daughter, and a teenager.
“The barangay chairman inform the post blast investigator that he received a call and text message from unidentified person allegedly member of the Abu Sayyaf group asking him the amount of three hundred thousand pesos, but he refused to give said amount,” police said in a progress report sent to journalists.
Police said witnesses also noticed unidentified men in motorcycles outside Attang’s house before the explosion. It said investigators recovered fragments of the explosive and iron nails from the site. Police said traces of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil and a time fuse were also found in the area.
The chemical mixture is a potent explosive mostly used in coal mining and quarrying.
Attang’s house in Tictabon village was also attacked. (With a report from E. Dumabo)
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