ZAMBOANGA CITY — Authorities have foiled a possible bombing plot by “lawless group” believed to have ties with the Abu Sayyaf bandits in this southern port city, a military official disclosed Wednesday.
Task Force Zamboanga (TFZ) commander Col. Buenaventura Pascual said combined military and police forces have seized bomb-making materials following a brief firefight against four members of the Pingli group around 9:45 a.m. Wednesday in Barangay Landang Laum, 33 kilometers east of this city.
Landang Laum is one of the four barangays in Sacol Island, which is being used by the Pingli group as staging point in committing atrocities including kidnapping.
The military and police have tagged the Pingli group as the local conduit of the Abu Sayyaf bandits in staging kidnapping in this city.
Pascual said the brief firefight ensued when combined military and police forces were deployed after a report that several Pingli group members were sighted in the coast of Barangay Landang Laum.
The group fled leaving behind their motorized banca with tool box containing bombing-making materials which were recovered by the troops, Pascual said.
The recovered bomb-making materials include: ammonium nitrate placed in a 1.5 liter container; electronic tester, nine-volt batteries; printed circuit boards; mini-drill; transistors; capacitors; light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs; soldering iron; soldering lead; diodes; and wires.
The confiscated bomb-making materials were turned over to the explosive ordnance demolition (EOD) section of the Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) for safe keeping, Pascual said. (PNA)
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