By Aaron Recuenco
Authorities foiled a possible bomb attack Friday at a barangay outpost in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao.
Two individuals were arrested following the incident.
Maj. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, commander of 6th Infantry Division, identified the arrested suspects as Esmael Abdulkarem, 44, a resident of Shariff Aguak; and Boy Kamid, 52, from Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao.
The duo yielded two .45 caliber pistols.
Two other men believed to be cohorts of the suspects were able to elude arrest.
Dela Vega described the IED as being fashioned from an MK2 fragmentation grenade and 60-mm. mortar explosive sans fuse and tailfin.
It was discovered inside a small box near a Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) outpost at around 6:30 p.m.
The Army’s Explosive and Ordnance Division defused the IED about an hour later.
“Our team cordoned and secured the area from civilians. The IED was defused by military bomb experts,” dela Vega said.
The arrested suspects, according to dela Vega, are now in the custody of Shariff Aguak police.
Investigation is still ongoing regarding the affiliation of the two arrested suspects.
Prior, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters have been known to stage various bomb attacks in Maguindanao.
