The artist’s sketch of the suspect in the bombing of a night market that killed 14 people and injured 70 others is presented at a press conference in Davao City on Wednesday. JULLIANE DE JESUS
The Philippine National Police on Wednesday released the artist’s sketch of the man who left a black bag with an explosive inside it at the Roxas night market in Davao City on Sept. 2.
The explosion at the crowded night market along Roxas Avenue claimed the lives of 14 individuals and injured 70 others.
At a press conference in Davao City, Police Director Benjamin Magalong, deputy police chief for operations, presented the sketch of the suspect who was wearing a black face mask.
Meanwhile in Camp Crame, Quezon City, PNP chief Dir. Gen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa said the sketch was based on the description of the witnesses, some of whom were survivors of the blast.
Dela Rosa added the suspect might be a “student” of slain Malaysian bomb-maker Zulkifli Bin Hir or “Marwan” who was the target of the ill-fated operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, that killed 44 Special Action Force commandos in January 2015.
This was based on the fragments of the explosive device gathered from the crime scene, which showed that the improvised bomb used was a 60 mm and an 81 mm put together into one.
“Pinagbasehan doon yung trademark nung improvised explosives device na mortar round. Kanya kanyang signature ’yong mga bomb maker. That kind of bomb, it can be traced back to the Central Mindanao area where maraming naturuan si Marwan doon,” Dela Rosa told reporters.
The police chief said the PNP was still in the process of tracing the location of the suspect.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte has offered at P2-million reward for the arrest of the culprits behind the explosion.