PNP names persons of interest in Marawi bombing

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has urged Filipinos not to be scared into doing what the terrorists want — which is to strip them of normalcy — following Sunday's bombing at the Mindanao State University gymnasium.

Go urged the public not to be lured into sectarian hatred and division as the attack targeted students and teachers as they were hearing a Catholic mass.

"We know that the function of terrorism is to terrorize people. If we allow ourselves to be terrorized, the terrorists win," Go said on the Senate floor.

"As such, we must remain united and should not allow this crime to trigger sectarian hatred and further animosity among the Filipino people," he added.

Pics released

On Wednesday, the Philippine National Police released the photos and identities of two persons of interest linked to the bombing.

PNP spokesperson P/Col. Jean Fajardo identified the two as Kadapi Mimbesa, alias Engineer, and Arsani Membisa, alias Khatab, Hatab and Lapitos. Both are allegedly members of the Dalwah Islamiya-Maute Group which is affiliated with the Islamic State or IS.

The IS took credit for last Sunday's carnage.

Kadapi was last seen with a bag that may have contained the bomb. Both had previous warrants for their arrest in separate murder cases.

According to Fajardo, they identified the suspects from the description of witnesses who picked them out of a rogue's gallery.

The suspects were seen at 6:27 a.m. going to the MSU gym and by 7 a.m. entering the area of the bombing.

"Before the explosion, they were seen exiting MSU with one making a phone call that might have triggered the explosion," Fajardo said.

It took a while for the PNP to release the pictures and identities of the suspects as they were being thoroughly vetted, she added.

Go cites resiliency

Go recalled the resilience of Marawi's citizens in recovering from the 2017 siege, despite ongoing challenges, including insufficient compensation and reconstruction efforts.

"Our brothers and sisters in Marawi have already emerged from the dark ashes of the Marawi Siege," Go said.

Meanwhile, Fajardo said a bomb threat had come in an e-mail allegedly from a lawyer named Takahiro Karasawa, who said he had planted bombs in several buildings in Metro Manila.

"Those bombs will explode at approximately 3:34 p.m. on 5 December," Karasawa wrote.

The PNP spokesperson said this was not the first time such an e-mail had circulated where the person who spread it was from outside the country.

With Glen Jacob Jose