Police raid suspected terrorist's apartment

Manila: Police and intelligence authorities have raided an apartment in the village in Taguig City on suspicion that an armed group from Southern Philippines is keeping a firearms cache and homemade bombs in the area, planning similar attacks that happened in Mumbai, India.

The combined operatives of the anti-terrorism division of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) policemen and naval intelligence stormed the Ratan apartment in Maharlika village in Taguig late on Monday on suspicion that powered firearms and homemade bombs are still kept in the area.

Authorities did not find anything, but confirmed that the person responsible for making the homemade bombs actually lived there.

Anti-terrorism council spokesman Ricardo Blancaflor said the raid was conducted based on the search warrant issued by the Regional Trial Court in Manila.

"We are conducting these kinds of raid activities to prevent similar attacks in Mumbai from happening here in Manila and in other parts of the Philippines, said Blancaflor.

He maintained that even if the operatives did not find bombs, "we still cannot take things for granted especially since we found two sets of bombs in the area last week".

On November 25, government security authorities arrested four suspected terrorists who are believed to be members of the kidnap syndicate Abu Sayaff Group operating in Mindanao.

Romy Bon Huy Lim, NBI-Criminal Investigation Division chief, identified the arrested suspects as Sabila Zaman, alias "Arex Guimba" and his wife Norma Padua Zaman. Both were charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition. Lim, however, did not disclose the identities of the two other arrested persons as the bureau is reportedly still verifying the extent of their participation.

Among the weapons seized were homemade pipe bombs, colt revolvers and magazines. "Informants reported to the bureau that illicit activities are going on in the area and that the syndicate is planning something dangerous," Lim said.

He added that the NBI agents were surprised to find an improvised bomb in the area.