The Philippine National Police (PNP) has raised a red alert status in Mindanao, and placed the National Capital Region (NCR) under heightened alert after a bomb exploded in Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City.
"The PNP has put a red alert status on all of our regional offices in Mindanao, and also to include a heightened alert here in the National Capital Region," PNP Directorial Staff Lt. Gen Emmanuel Peralta announced in a joint press briefing on Sunday, Nov. 4.
He said they would intensify security checkpoints in Mindanao and Metro Manila to "pre-empt follow-up incidents on this bombing."
The PNP Directorial Staff mentioned that the suspects used an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to blast the MSU's Dimaporo Gymnasium.
"The Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines conducted an investigation, initially gathered a fragments of 60-millimeters mortar coming from the IED. Right now, we are under investigation on who are the possible suspects," he said.
Peralta said a PNP special investigation task group would be formed to focus on the investigation.
In the same press briefing, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. said they are suspecting that the bombing was a "retaliatory attack" by terrorist groups. Meanwhile, DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. mentioned that "there is a strong indication of a foreign element."
At around 7 AM on Sunday, Dec. 4, a bomb blasted a gym in MSU - Marawi City campus, which killed 4 individuals and wounded 45 others.
The bomb explosion occured in the middle of a Catholic mass attended by students and faculty members.
