Terrorist groups' retaliatory attack and a possible involvement of foreign element were two possible angles that authorities look into the bomb explosion at the gymnasium of Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City on Sunday, Dec. 3.
In a joint press briefing, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. said they suspected that the bombing was a retaliatory attack by terrorists.
"It could be a retaliatory attack dahil sa sunod-sunod na operation natin against the terrorist groups in the whole area of Western Mindanao dito sa Maguindanao, sa Lanao, and dito sa Basilan, maaaring retaliatory attack 'yung nangyari kaninang umaga. So that is one angle that we are looking into," he said.
The AFP chief of staff said their series of operations led to the death of the leader of Dawlah Islamiya-Maute group.
[THREAD] Press conference ng DND, AFP, PNP, at iba pang ahensya kaugnay sa lindol sa Surigao del Sur at sa pagbomba sa Mindanao State University. #SamaSamaTayoPilipino pic.twitter.com/bKQl1hE4YL
— DZRH NEWS (@dzrhnews) December 3, 2023
"We have alerted all of our units in Mindanao as well as all other units here in the Metro Manila area," Brawner said.
He vowed that they would continue their intelligence gathering to run after the perpetrators.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. mentioned that there was a foreign element in the bombing incident.
"We are not at liberty to disclose, but there is a strong indication of a foreign element. Let’s leave it at that. We are not at liberty to disclose, it will hamper the ongoing operations," he said.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. first pronounced that the bombing incident was perpetrated by "foreign terrorists."
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists upon the Mindanao State University (MSU) and Marawi communities early this Sunday morning,” Marcos said in a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account.
