First of 2 bombers in Sulu blast identified
MANILA, Philippines — The military has identified one of the two bombers that launched the explosions in Sulu last Friday that killed eight people and injured 22 others.
Western Mindanao Command chief Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said the parents of the first suspect had come forward to claim his body.
The mother of the suspect, 23-year-old Norman Lanusca, said she last saw her son five years ago, Sobejana said.
“Based sa kwento ng nanay, sa Sulu nag-aral. Pero hindi to naka-high school, elementary lang. Pinanganak siya sa Barangay Astorias, Jolo, Sulu at umalis na sa bahay nila noong 2014 at ngayon lang nakita ng magulang na patay na,” he said.
(Based on the mother’s account, the suspect studied in Sulu but finished did not reach high school. He was born in Barangay Astorias in Jolo, Sulu. He left home in 2014, and it is only now that the parents heard of his whereabouts.)
Authorities are still trying to determine if the Sulu attacks were suicide bombing cases. If so, this would make Lanusca the first known Filipino to carry out such an attack.
“So far, wala pang Pilipino na suicide bomber. Kaya nga sabi ko we should be very careful din until we have proven na talagang kamag-anak yun at saka kung Pilipino,” Sobejana said.
(So far, we have not identified any Filipino suicide bomber. So we should be very careful in labelling it as suicide bombing until we can prove they have relatives here or they are Filipino.)
The other suspect appeared to be a foreigner.
“Mukha siyang Caucasian. He can be the son of the Moroccan na nagpasabog sa Basilan (He looks Caucasian. He can be the son of a Moroccan involved in the blast in Basilan),” he said.
The bombing was the third blast in less than a year in Mindanao, which is currently under martial law.
A Moroccan carried out a suicide bombing attack at a military checkpoint in Basilan last year, killing 10 people The second blast happened last January at a Catholic cathedral in Jolo, which killed 20 people.
READ: Jolo twin blasts death toll reaches 20, with 111 others injured
READ: Basilan blast: 11 dead heroes
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier expressed concern on this “very important development” in Mindanao.
“It’s becoming a frequent occurrence and we are very much concerned about this,” he said. (Editor: Eden Estopace)
