8 suspects in deadly Lamitan car bombing charged — Albayalde

Police and soldiers guard the blast site in Lamitan, Basilan, where a van laden with explosives blew up. PHOTO COURTESY OF WESTMINCOM

The police have arrested eight suspects allegedly involved in the July 31 car bombing in Lamitan, Basilan, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said on Monday.

Albayalde said the eight arrested suspects and 10 others who are still at large, including Abu Sayyaf Group’s Furuji Indama, were facing criminal complaints for the incident.

“I am pleased to announce that the PNP has filed two separate criminal cases for murder and multiple frustrated murder before the Regional Trial Court Branch 2 of Isabela City against 18 suspects involved in the July 31, 2018 bombing of a CAFGU detachment in Lamitan City,” Albayalde said during the press briefing at Camp Crame.

The PNP Chief identified the suspects under their custody as Julamin Arundoh, a bomb expert who assembled the improvised explosive device (IED); Saad Tedie and Ammar Indama, who took part in the planning and preparing the IED; and Musa Jallaha, Nsir Nuruddin and Al Basir Ahmad, who loaded IED into the van.

Other suspects included Hadji Hurang who kept items such as white gallons with traces of IED components, Abdurahim Lijal, who helped in preparing the van.

At least 10 were killed, including the suicide bomber, three Cafgu members, a soldier, a woman and a child, after a van laden with explosives blew 15 meters away from a military checkpoint.

It was described as the first suicide bombing incident in the city. /cbb

READ: 11 killed as van explodes in Basilan