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| Southeast Asia |
| Christmas Mass bombing injures 11 in the Phillipines |
| 2010-12-25 |
| A improvised explosive device on a church rooftop exploded at a Catholic church on Jolo Island in the Phillipines during Christmas services, injuring 11 people. "The explosion occurred at around 7:15 in the morning while the mass was going on. Six people were slightly wounded in the explosion," said a military spokesman in the initial report. The chapel was 15 meters away from the local police’s main headquarters. “It’s a well guarded compound. It’s manned and secured by regular police forces, by the Special Action Force and a nearby detachment of the Philippine Marines, that’s why I don’t know how the chapel could have been bombed and how the bomb was sneaked in. They have to be investigated,” Latag told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview. The compound houses the water district office, a military hospital, a lodge known as the Peacekeepers' Inn, and the chapel. The bomb also caused damage to the chapel’s altar. Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo said he has directed the Philippine National Police to arrest the suspects behind the explosion immediately. "We are condemning in the strongest terms the chapel bombing especially as we are celebrating Christmas," he added. Though no one claimed responsibility for the attack, Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo said Christians in Jolo had been threatened by Muslims. "There are communities that are being threatened for being Christian. They are receiving threats coming from so-called fundamentalist Muslims," he told AFP. "They're being intimidated by words. Many times they are being disturbed in their gatherings for worship," he added. |
| Posted by:ryuge |