Blast hits Zamboanga Catholic church

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / November 7, 2009) – A Roman Catholic Church was bombed before dawn Saturday in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga, but there were no reports of casualties.

Reporters who rushed in the area said the blast partially damaged the concrete fence of the old San Isidro Labrador Church in the village of Talon-Talon.

A letter was also left by the unidentified assailant and warned that there will be more attacks in Zamboanga.

Television reports said the blast occurred at around 1 a.m. and police investigators claimed a grenade was likely used in the attack. No individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Last year, two bomb explosions rocked a Catholic church and a coffee house in Zamboanga City. The first explosion occurred near the right wing of the Immaculate Conception Metro Cathedral and damaged two parked cars.

The second bomb exploded just 10 minutes later in the front of the Vienna Kaffe Haus located on the ground floor of a building that also houses the local office of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The blast destroyed the coffee shop's door and sign.

A powerful bomb explosion also injured at least 20 people in Zamboanga City in August 2007. The bomb was planted at a public square in downtown Zamboanga. The Abu Sayyaf was initially blamed by the military for the attack. But three suspected bombers captured a week later by the police pointed to a military intelligence agent as the mastermind of the bombing.

Previous attacks were blamed by the military and police to the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels. (Mindanao Examiner)