ZAMBOANGA CITY, 18 October 2006 — Britain warned yesterday that terrorists may be in the final stages of plotting more attacks after a series of bombings in the southern Philippines, and advised its citizens against traveling to the sprawling region.
Philippine police have blamed Al-Qaeda-linked militants from the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah and the local Abu Sayyaf groups for three bombings in the south last week, including an Oct. 10 attack that killed six people and wounded 29 others during a town fiesta in North Cotabato province.
The US, British and Australian embassies had cautioned against travel to Mindanao shortly before the attacks, citing credible information that terrorists could strike.
Renewing their warning, British officials said more terror attacks could be looming.
“We believe that terrorists are in the final stages of planning further attacks,” a British Embassy advisory said.
It cited possible kidnappings of foreigners in resorts and terrorist attacks against “all forms of public transport: road, rail, sea and air.”
Police in the capital, Manila, went on alert yesterday.
Officials said they were looking into the possibility that the shipment of bomb ingredients seized in the southern port city of Zamboanga yesterday and last month were related to the bombing campaign.
Both shipments were found in ferries coming from the southern island of Jolo, where US-backed troops are battling members of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.
Yesterday’s shipment involved 200 kilograms of high-grade French ammonium nitrate, used by local terrorists in the manufacture of homemade bombs, officials said.
Police intercepted the shipment from the ferry MV Nickel Princely and detained three men who tried to claim it.
Chief Inspector Frank Clavecillas, the port police commander, told Arab News that the ammonium nitrate, marked “Made in France,” were in eight bags hidden underneath fish crates. Soldiers were spotted searching the ship’s cargo bay and had interviewed crew members and several passengers.
“We have intelligence report about this shipment and security forces had been alerted about the arrival of the ship. We are still investigating whether this cargo is owned by the Abu Sayyaf or Jemaah Islamiyah,” Clavecillas said.
He said the amount of ammonium nitrate seized was enough to make several bombs to flatten a small building.
Last month, Clavecilla’s group also intercepted a ferry loaded with a ton of ammonium nitrate in the same port.
Amid the warnings, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday sought public cooperation and to report suspicious people and activities.
“The authorities are on top of the situation, but they need the active support of the community to safeguard the perimeters of peace and order,” she said in a statement.
“The strong cooperation between vigilant public and our security forces will deny the terrorists any room to carry out sinister plots,” Arroyo said.
Muslim militants allegedly staged last week’s bombings to distract attention from a monthslong US-backed military offensive against Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf rebels on southern Jolo island, and to avenge the recent capture of the wife of Dulmatin, a top Indonesian terror suspect believed to be hiding there, police said.
Police on Monday filed criminal complaints against Dulmatin, three other Indonesian militants and at least 18 local insurgents over one of the attacks that wounded four people in a public market in southern Tacurong city, officials said.
Authorities have placed Mindanao under “extreme critical alert” — the highest of a four-step public terror warning.
