Quiapo blast probe back to zero

Crime screne investigators secure one of the two blast sites in Quiapo, Manila, on the night of May 6. —RICHARD A. REYES

The Manila Police District (MPD) clarified on Wednesday that no suspects have been arrested in connection with the two explosions in Quiapo which killed two persons and injured several others on May 6.

A separate statement from the Manila City Hall also clarified that the three people questioned by the MPD were not suspects but “persons of interest.”

Earlier, some media outlets (not the Inquirer) reported that Halid Macatanong, 51; Aamir Shahzad Khan and Joanne Palmiano were arrested at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone on Tuesday afternoon. The three were allegedly the primary suspects in the twin blasts that killed the aide of lawyer Nasser Abinal, president of the Imamate Islamic Center.

Muhammad Baniga, the aide who received the package, and Mark Anthony Torres, the person who delivered it to Abinal’s office on Gunao Street, were both killed. According to the police, Abinal was the likely target either due to his work as a tax officer for the Bureau of Internal Revenue or as a religious leader.

The second explosion occurred hours later at the corner of Norzagaray and Elizondo Streets, wounding two policemen.

News about the arrest of three suspects started circulating on Tuesday but there was no confirmation from MPD.

Around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Mayor Joseph Estrada released a statement congratulating the MPD for the arrest of the three suspects.

Two hours later, city hall came out with a second statement with this correction: “MPD director, Chief Supt. Joel Coronel, clarified that they have no solid evidence to pin down the three ‘persons of interests’ they invited for questioning last Tuesday.”
The statement, quoting Coronel, said the three were released because there was no evidence linking them to the bombings.