ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 11, 2008) – A homemade bomb was discovered Thursday near a government building in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, police said.
Police said the crude bomb was found by two children near the city council building shortly before 6 a.m. The bomb was made from ammonium nitrate and put inside a container attached to a wire and a clock.
Police said the bomb was inside a backpack when it was discovered by children hours before the start of the city council session.
“I saw the bomb, I saw the wires because I was there when policemen were inspecting the bomb,” one radio reporter said. “Police said the ammonium nitrate was about three kilos.”
Authorities wanted to question the children to find out where they exactly discovered the bomb. No groups or individual claimed responsibility for the aborted bombing.
Last week, Police seized at least 10,000 blasting caps and 3,000 meters of detonating cords from a warehouse in Zamboanga City.
Police said the materials were shipped from Manila, but remained unclaimed. It was not immediately known whether the cargo was intended to any rebel group in the southern Philippines, where security forces are battling the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group and the larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Blasting caps are also widely used in illegal fishing in the restive region. Blasting cap is a small explosive device generally used to detonate larger, more powerful explosive and commonly used in mining.
In May, a marine patrol also intercepted a small boat transporting more than 280 bags of ammonium nitrate and dozens of blasting caps at a wharf near the village of Buanza in the southern town of Indanan. Ammonium nitrate, which is commonly used as a fertilizer, is also an ingredient to homemade explosive common in blast fishing in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
