MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) began its investigation on Tuesday into a series of bomb threats targeting several government agencies, allegedly orchestrated by a supposed Japanese citizen named Takahiro Karasawa.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that the bureau is conducting a comprehensive inquiry to ascertain the identity of the supposed foreigner responsible for the bomb threats and whether the individual is present in the Philippines.
READ: Bomb threats strike various gov’t agencies, LGUs on Feb 12
“We will also be verifying if this is his real identity or if he is a prankster using a fictitious name,” Tansingco was quoted as saying in a statement from BI.
The bureau will collaborate with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice, both of which are also probing the bomb scares, it noted.
“The national government is not taking this lightly. Any security threat shall be met with the harshest penalties of the law,” the commissioner said, stressing that the BI can easily enforce hold orders, blacklist orders, or arrest warrants which may be issued against the suspect.
According to BI, a preliminary database search revealed four individuals with the same name as the alleged foreigner, none of whom are currently in the country.
Bomb scare
On February 12, an email supposedly sent by Karasawa warned that an explosion at 3:34 p.m. would rock Philippine government agencies.
The agencies that received the threat included the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Initial investigations by local police, however, said that no signs of any bomb were found within the area of the agencies’ buildings.
READ: CICC asks Japan gov’t to investigate hoax bomb threats
Other government agencies have also urged for a swift investigation on the matter while the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center is working with the government of Japan itself to probe the bomb hoaxes.