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PNP recovers 60mm mortar round fragments from Marawi blast
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said they have recovered fragments from a 60mm mortar round at the Dimaporo Gymnasium in Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City, the site of a deadly explosion that killed 4 people and wounded several others during a Catholic Mass on Sunday morning.
“May na-recover po iyong Provincial Explosive K9 unit po ng BAR ng mga fragments po coming from 60mm mortar,” PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo said in a press briefing at Camp Crame .
(The Provincial Explosive K9 unit of the BAR recovered fragments from a 60mm mortar round.)
“Pero kung ano po ba iyong naging trigger ng device whether it is battery-operate or cellphone-operated ay binubuo pa nila iyong fragments doon po sa ginamit na improvised explosive device (IED),” she added.
(But with regards to what was the trigger of the device, whether it is battery-operated or cellphone-operated, the unit is still combining the fragments for what was used in the IED.)
Another possible piece of evidence is a bag that police said could have carried the IED to the gym.
According to Fajardo, witnesses positively identified two persons of interest from the rogues’ gallery of personalities who were involved in previous bombings in the area.
The Philippine military on Monday said it is validating the claim from the terror group Islamic State that it is responsible for the bomb attack.
The Islamic State group, which wields influence in the southern Philippines, said on Telegram that its members detonated the bomb, according to a Reuters report.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said the military is also checking the possible involvement of the Dawlah Islamiyah - Maute Group in the attack.
The blast occurred at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday during a mass being held at the gym that was attended by students and faculty.
Fajardo said four people were killed. Thirty-nine of the wounded people were already discharged from the hospital but six are still under confinement.—RF, GMA Integrated News
