This photo from the Philippine Army shows identities of alleged suspects in the Jolo church blasts as caught on CCTV. Two explosions rocked the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, Sulu, last Sunday, January 27, 2019, and left at least 21 people dead and scores of others wounded.
MANILA, Philippines—Police have cleared four men of their involvement in the twin bombings in Jolo, Sulu.
These men, who surfaced before the police on Wednesday to clear their names, were earlier seen in footages from closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) leaving the site before the deadly explosions.
Senior Supt. Bernard Banac, the spokesperson of the Philippine National Police (PNP), told reporters that the four men were released on Wednesday night. Police earlier tagged them as persons of interest in the blasts.
READ: Four ‘persons of interest’ in Jolo church bombings clear their names
Banac said the men, who claimed they were mere bystanders in the area, were able to prove their innocence on the blasts that killed 21 and injured 97 others.
“Pagkatapos maberepika ang kanilang pagkakakilanlan ayon sa unang pagsusuri ay napatunayan nga na totoo ang kanilang sinasabi, beripikado ng iba pang mga tao, ay malaya rin silang nakaalis sa himpilan ng ating pulisya,” he said in a press briefing.
(After their identities were verified based on initial investigation and they were able to prove that they are telling the truth, and after other persons also verified it, they were released from the custody of the police.)
According to Banac, none of the men who surfaced matched the identity of an alias Kamah, who is being tagged as one of the perpetrators of the bombings. Kamah is the brother of slain Abu Sayyaf leader Surakah Ingog.
Earlier, police killed Ommal Yusop, who was believed to be a relative of Kamah, in a raid of a house at the Kalimayan Village in Barangay Latih, Patikul, Sulu. Kamah and another unidentified person evaded arrest. /jpv
READ: Alleged kin of suspect in Jolo blasts dies in shootout