Police deny IS role in Quiapo blast

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) denied yesterday the claim of the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) that it was behind a bomb explosion that left 13 people wounded in Quiapo, Manila last week.

NCRPO chief Director Oscar Albayalde said the blast was not the handiwork of any terror group.

“Based on the testimonies of the witnesses and evidence we gathered from the scene, the explosion is not connected with any terrorist group,” Albayalde said.

The IS reportedly claimed responsibility for the blast.

Albayalde ordered an investigation to confirm the IS claim.

An improvised explosive device went off in a commercial area in Quiapo on April 28, the same day regional leaders flew into the country for the 30th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Manila.

Albayalde maintained that the explosion had nothing to do with the ASEAN meet.

He did not discount the presence of threat groups in Metro Manila, but stressed that “there are no confirmed reports about the presence of IS in the country.”

“The IS is grabbing an opportunity to promote their cause and gain global recognition by claiming responsibility for the explosion,” Albayalde said.

He urged the public to be vigilant and report to police suspicious-looking individuals in their community.

Gang war eyed

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the Quiapo blast was not the work of IS terrorists.

“According to our intelligence report, this was the result of a grudge,” Lorenzana said.

Probers ruled out any possibility of the blast being a terror attack, saying it was the result of a scuffle between rival gangs.

Prior to the explosion, Lorenzana said a teenager was beaten up by three brothers in the area.

Reports said the father threatened to get back at the siblings, saying

“pasasabugin ko kayo (I will blow you up).”

“The IS can claim all they want, but the incident was not their handiwork,” Lorenzana said.