Suspicious package triggers bomb scare on day of Obama visit

MANILA, Philippines –A fake bomb was found near the United States Embassy in Manila on Monday, triggering a bomb scare on the day of US President Barack Obama’s state visit, a radio report said.

The report said the bogus bomb was placed in a package and attached with a microchip and timer to resemble an explosive device.

Details had been sketchy as reports surfaced that the bomb squad denoted the bomb, which was located behind Bayview Park Hotel near the US Embassy, at around 1 p.m.

But the radio report quoted Chief Inspector Arnold Santos, chief of the Manila Police District bomb squad, as saying the bomb was a hoax.

Inquirer Metro tweeted that the bomb came from the hotel’s fifth floor and taken out behind the hotel.

The bomb scare occurred on the day Obama arrived in Manila for his two-day state visit.

Obama’s state visit is the stop of his Asian tour, part of the US bid to rebalance its forces in the region amid China’s increasing political and military might.

The US president started his state visit just hours after the signing of an agreement between the country and US allowing an increased presence of American troops in the former US colony.

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