BASILAN (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 2, 2013) – An improvised explosive was discovered Monday at a baggage counter of a small shopping store in Isabela City in Basilan province in southern Philippines, police said.
The explosive, a small pipe bomb rigged to a cell phone and concealed in a cardboard box, was recovered at the New Mabuhay Trading a week after it was left there by an unidentified shopper. The discovery came after an employee noticed the unclaimed baggage and informed the store owner.
Members of the army’s anti-ordnance unit disarmed the explosive. It was not immediately known why the bomb did not explode or whether the explosive had malfunctioned.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the failed bombing, but extortionists and rebels are actively operating in Basilan and have been largely blamed for attacks on civilian targets. (Mindanao Examiner)
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