Gun claims: Manila waiting on Jakarta

Security officials in Manila said they were awaiting a formal request from Indonesia seeking confirmation on whether the guns used in last Thursday’a terror attack in Jakarta were sourced from the Philippines.

“We are awaiting a formal report from Indonesian national police asking us to confirm that the guns used in the Jakarta attacks came from the Philippines,” National Police Director General Ricardo Marquez told reporters yesterday.

Interest by security officials in Manila had been prompted by reports saying the guns used in the terror attack that killed eight people and injured 20 others last Thursday in Jakarta came from the Philippines.

Maj. Gen Anton Charliyan spokesman for the Indonesian police was quoted in reports as saying the firearms used in carrying out the carnage “bore marks of guns made in the Philippines.”

In response to this, Marquez said: “Once we get a formal request from the Indonesian police, we can proceed on checking whether this guns were really made in the Philippines.”

Terror group’s reach

Marquez said the country has a standing agreement with Indonesia on cooperating in anti-terror efforts.

Tracing the origin of the guns, which were shown on video footage of the incident to be pistols, would help in ascertaining the logistical reach of the terror group.

A source with knowledge of the arms industry, however, told Gulf News that assuming the guns really came from the Philippines, it would be difficult to identify where they really came from.

“More than two million guns in the country have no official documents and are in the hands of either the communist insurgents or Moro rebel groups such as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters,” the source said.