RP troops seize 6 tons of chemicals used by rebels in making homemade explosives

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / October 19, 2009) – Philippine authorities seized more than six tons of banned chemical fertilizers widely used by rebels in the manufacture of crude bombs, officials said Monday.

Officials said some 242 bags of ammonium nitrate were seized Friday from two locations in the southern Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi province. The chemical fertilizers were believed smuggled into the southern Philippine from nearby Malaysia.

Regional military spokesman Major Ramon Hontiveros said the recovery of the contraband came after soldiers arrested a boatman in Bongao town in Tawi-Tawi who tried to smuggle out 225 kilos of ammonium nitrate in nine bags.

The arrested boatman led troops at a warehouse in the town where the rest of the chemicals were hidden and arrested a second man. “The contraband was allegedly bought in Malaysia,” Hontiveros said, adding the two men were being investigated by the military.

It was unknown whether the two men had any links with rebels.

Authorities also seized in July some 350 kilos of ammonium nitrate and 1,800 pieces of blasting caps and detonating cords from a cargo vessel in the central Philippine province of Cebu that was heading for Iligan City in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Two killed in blast in South RP

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 01, 2009) – Two men were killed after a powerful homemade bomb exploded Sunday inside their house in the southern Filipino island of Sulu, police said.

Police said three others, two of them childre, were wounded in the blast that occurred in the coastal town of Patikul. The house was also damaged from the explosion.

“The two men were known manufacturers of homemade explosives used in illegal fishing,” Senior Supt. Julasirim Kasim, the island’s police, told the Mindanao Examiner.

He said explosion decapitated the body of one of the victim and the second man died in hospital. “This should serve as a warning to fishermen not to resort to blast fishing because not only it is illegal, it is also dangerous and deadly,” Kasim said.

Kasim said they found ammonium nitrate used by the victims in manufacturing homemade explosives. He said the two men came from Tawi-Tawi Island and had been renting the house since last week.

The chemicals are widely used as fertilizer and an ingredient to homemade explosive common in blast fishing.

The Philippines in 2002 has banned imports of ammonium nitrate over fears it is being used in explosives, but the chemicals are also being smuggled by unscrupulous into the country from the Malaysian state of Sabah that borders the island of Tawi-Tawi. (Mindanao Examiner)

Homemade Bomb Found In Zamboanga City

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)

Marines Seized Chemical Explosive In South RP

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 25, 2008) – Government troops seized weapons and chemicals used in the manufacture of explosives in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials said Sunday.

Officials said a marine patrol intercepted Saturday a small boat transporting more than 280 bags of ammonium nitrate at a wharf in the village of Buanza near the town of Indanan. Troops also raided a house near the wharf and seized dozens of blasting caps and a .45-caliber pistol, ammunition and transceiver radios.

Sulu military chief, Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban said several people were arrested and criminal charges will be filed against them. “There is an ongoing operation to determine where the chemicals came from or if the militant Abu Sayyaf group was involved in the smuggling.”

“The Abu Sayyaf‘s involvement is not remote. The raid, which was conducted based on military intelligence build-up, is near the Abu Sayyaf camp overrun by the military last month. With blasting caps and the ammonium nitrate, which is the basic ingredient for fertilizer bombs, it is obviously meant for a terrorist action,” he said.

The chemicals are widely used as fertilizer and an ingredient to homemade explosive common in blast fishing.

He said civilian informants tipped off the military about the chemicals and the weapons. Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan has previously ordered police and military to dismantle all private armed groups and seized all illegal weapons in the province.

“Our soldiers’ commitment to their mandated tasks interfaced with the public support and cooperation effect this successful operation. We shall always be relentless in our security operations to thwart any eventuality that may harm our people,” Sabban said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Blast Kills 4 In Jolo Island, AFP Says

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 21 Jul) – The Philippine military said four people had died and four others wounded in a blast in the southern island of Jolo.

The blast destroyed a market store in downtown Jolo, a regional army spokesman, Maj. Eugene Batara.

“Four people were killed in the blast inside a market store in Jolo. Four people were also wounded and rushed to hospital,” Batara told the Mindanao Examiner.

Army Brig. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan, commander of an anti-terrorist task force in Jolo, earlier said that the explosion ripped through a house in downtown Jolo. Its occupants, he said, were allegedly assembling homemade bombs.

He said the explosives would probably be used in illegal fishing, which is rampant in the Sulu Sea.

Pabustan has ordered security forces to arrest those involved in illegal fishing and individuals engaged in selling explosives and chemicals used in the manufacture of homemade bombs.

Troops are battling the Moro National Liberation Front rebels and members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group and the Jemaah Islamiya on the island.

Soldiers in April seized 600 kilos of ammonium nitrate from a mini-bus in Jolo's Panamao town and another 25 kilos at a government checkpoint in Zamboanga City in the western part of Mindanao island. (Mindanao Examiner)

Main Explosive Ingredient Seized In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 24 Apr) – Philippine soldiers seized 25 kilos of banned ammonium nitrate, used by rebels as main ingredient in the manufacture of homemade explosives, in Zamboanga City.

The chemical, concealed in a cardboard box, was discovered by soldiers in a bus at military checkpoint in the village of Mati in the outskirts of Zamboanga on Monday.

No individual claimed ownership of the chemical. The bus was on its way to Zamboanga del Sur province when soldiers flagged down the vehicle to search for weapons and explosives. (With a report from Juley Reyes)

Soldiers Recover More Chemical Used In Manufacturing Bombs In Zamboanga

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 07 Nov) - Government soldiers on Tuesday recovered more banned chemicals used widely by rebels in the manufacture of explosives in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, officials said.

Officials said soldiers recovered a total of 375 kilos of ammonium nitrate from a truck they intercepted at an army checkpoint in the coastal village of Rio Hondo.

Troops also seized an unlicensed .45-caliber pistol from a man, Hasimin Sahid, believed to be the owner of the illegal cargo, said Major Eugene Batara, a regional army spokesman.

Batara said the soldiers earlier seized 125 kilos of ammonium nitrate from the truck, but they found 250 kilos more chemical hidden in 10 bags inside sacks of charcoal. "The arrested man is a native of Mapun island off Tawi-Tawi province. He is under investigation," he told the Mindanao Examiner.

The village is a notorious hideout of criminal gangs and terrorists and had been used in the past by the Abu Sayyaf as springboard for attacks against civilian targets.

Last month, authorities detained three men linked to the smuggling of 200 kilos of high-grade French-made ammonium nitrate in the port of Zamboanga.

Policemen, backed by soldiers, intercepted the shipment from a Filipino ferry, MV Nickel Princely, that came from the restive island of Jolo where the Abu Sayyaf detonated a homemade bomb and wounded 3 people inside a police headquarters.

The group was also implicated in the bombing in March of a Church-run cooperative store that left nine people dead and 20 injured in downtown Jolo. In September, Zamboanga port authorities also intercepted a ferry loaded with a ton of ammonium nitrate, allegedly owned by the Abu Sayyaf.

The boat was held just minutes after it arrived from Jolo island and a ferry cargo inspector and four police escorts from Jolo were held for questioning in connection with the illegal cargo. Three more Abu Sayyaf bombings rocked the southern Philippines last month, killing at least 14 people. (Mindanao Examiner)

Bomb Chemical Seized In Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA City (Mindanao Examiner / 07 Nov) - Government soldiers on Tuesday intercepted a truck transporting a chemical used by rebels in manufacturing homemade bombs in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, a regional army spokesman said.

Major Eugene Batara said troops manning a checkpoint in the coastal village of Rio Hondo intercepted the truck loaded with 125 kilos of ammonium nitrate. "We are interrogating the truck driver. We still do not know who owns these illegal and dangerous chemical commonly used by terrorists to manufacture improvised explosive devices," he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Batara gave no other details about the capture of the chemical stashed in five bags, but the village is a notorious hideout of criminal gangs and terrorists and had been used in the past by the Abu Sayyaf as springboard for attacks against civilian targets.

Last month, authorities detained three men linked to the smuggling of 200 kilos of high-grade French-made ammonium nitrate in the port of Zamboanga. Policemen, backed by soldiers, intercepted the shipment from a Filipino ferry, MV Nickel Princely, that came from the restive island of Jolo where the Abu Sayyaf detonated a homemade bomb and wounded 3 people inside a police headquarters.

The group was also implicated in the bombing in March of a Church-run cooperative store that left nine people dead and 20 injured in downtown Jolo.In September, Zamboanga port authorities also intercepted a ferry loaded with a ton of ammonium nitrate, allegedly owned by the Abu Sayyaf.

The boat was held just minutes after it arrived from Jolo island and a ferry cargo inspector and four police escorts from Jolo were held for questioning in connection with the illegal cargo. Three more Abu Sayyaf bombings rocked the southern Philippines last month, killing at least 14 people. (Mindanao Examiner)

200 Kilos Of Bomb Chemical Seized In Zamboanga City

Scenes at the port of Zamboanga City in Southern RP on Tuesday 17 Oct 2006 where security forces seized from a ferry some 200 kilos of French-made ammonium nitrate, main ingredient in the manufacture of homemade bombs. (Mindanao Examiner)

(Mindanao Examiner)

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 17 Oct) - Philippine authorities detained three men linked to the smuggling Tuesday of 200 kilos of high-grade French ammonium nitrate, used by local terrorists in the manufacture of homemade bombs, in the southern port city of Zamboanga, officials said.

Policemen, backed by soldiers, intercepted the shipment from a Filipino ferry, MV Nickel Princely that came from the restive island of Jolo where troops are battling members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.

"We have intelligence report about this shipment and security forces had been alerted about the arrival of the ship. We are still investigating whether this cargo is owned by the Abu Sayyaf or Jemaah Islamiya. We also have intelligence reports that a shipment of ammunition is also on its way to Zamboanga from Jolo," Chief Inspector Frank Clavecillas, the port police commander, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Police and military interrogators were questioning the three men, a truck driver and two others who claimed the cargo at the port. "We are still investigating them; about the links to the chemical," said Inspector Abner Santos, of the regional maritime police.

The ammonium nitrate, marked "Made in France," were in eight bags hidden underneath fish crates. Soldiers were spotted searching the ship's cargo bay and had interviewed crew members and several passengers.

It was also the first time that authorities had seized ammonium nitrate that was manufactured in France and smuggled into Jolo. Most of previous shipment of ammonium nitrate were manufactured in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Clavecillas said the amount of ammonium nitrate they seized was enough for several bombs to flatten a small building. "It is enough to make bombs to flatten a small building or bring destruction and kill many innocent people," he said.

Last month, Clavecillas' group also intercepted a ferry loaded with a ton of ammonium nitrate, allegedly owned by the Abu Sayyaf, in the port of Zamboanga . The boat was held just minutes after it arrived from Jolo island. A ferry cargo inspector and four policemen assigned in Jolo were held for questioning in connection with the illegal cargo.

An Abu Sayyaf bomb made from ammonium nitrate was also detonated inside the main police headquarters in Jolo island on Sunday, wounding three people. The military tagged the Abu Sayyaf's urban terrorist group as behind the attack. The group was also implicated in the bombing in March of a Church-run cooperative store that left nine people dead and 20 injured in downtown Jolo.

Three more Abu Sayyaf bombings rocked the southern Philippines last week and killing at least 14 people.

The bombings were believed in retaliation to the arrest of the Indonesian wife and two children of Jemaah Islamiya bomber, Dulmatin, in Jolo island. Istiada Oemar Sovie and her two boys ages 6 and 8 were arrested after Filipino soldiers pursuing Dulmatin raided a terrorist hideout in Patikul town.

Dulmatin and his companion Umar Patek, who is also hiding in Jolo island are both wanted by Indonesia for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people and the 2003 JW Marriott hotel bombing in Jakarta.

The military said the Abu Sayyaf headed by Khadaffy Janjalani is protecting Dulmatin and Patek in Jolo island. As many as 31 Jemaah Islamiya militants are believed hiding in the southern Philippines, particularly in Mindanao where the MILF is actively operating, it said.No group or individual claimed responsibility for all the bombings. (Mindanao Examiner)