Police eye 2 ‘persons of interest’ in Mindanao State University bombing

Military personnel stand guard at the entrance of a gymnasium while police investigators (background) look for evidence after a bomb attack at Mindanao State University in Marawi, Lanao del Sur province on December 3, 2023. At least three people were killed and seven wounded in a bomb attack on a Catholic mass in the insurgency-plagued southern Philippines on December 3, officials said. (Photo by Merlyn MANOS / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — Police were looking into two “persons of interest” in the bloody bombing that killed four people and wounded scores in Marawi City.

Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO-BAR) assistant chief Lieutenant Eirene Mazon did not reveal the names of the individuals but said they reside in areas within Lanao del Sur.

“Initially, may two persons of interest na po (there are two persons of interest). As for their identification, [it is] still confidential po. Around Lanao del Sur area lang din sila (They’re just around Lanao del Sur area),” Mazon told INQUIRER.net in a text message on Monday.

Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for the blast that happened during a Catholic Mass inside a gymnasium of the Mindanao State University early Sunday, December 3.

The Islamic State group, which wields influence in the country’s south, said on Telegram its members had detonated the explosive.

The deadly bombing triggered heightened security alerts in the region and around Metro Manila.