/ 1 January 2002

Police arrest suspects for Zamboanga blasts

Philippine police have arrested several alleged members of the Muslim guerrilla group Abu Sayyaf who are suspects in bombings in the southern Philippine port city of Zamboanga, officials said on Wednesday.

Jose Bayani Gucela, a chief police inspector in Zamboanga, said the arrests were made overnight during raids, but he would not say how many people were detained.

Other officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the men were suspects in the bombings of two department stores last week in downtown Zamboanga that killed seven people and injured 152 others. The suspects were also accused of taking part in a blast at a Roman Catholic shrine last Sunday night that killed one and injured 18, the officials said.

The explosions were among five deadly blasts this month. Police have yet to present evidence linking any group to the attacks. – Sapa-AP