The Philippine National Police filed criminal charges for Murder and Frustrated Murder against eight identified members of the Al Khobar Group for the January 27, 2021 bombing of a passenger bus in North Cotabato that killed a fruit vendor and wounded two others.
“We have on-going police operations to scour the areas in Mindanao in pursuit of this terrorist group” said PNP Chief Police General Debold M Sinas.
THE criminal indictment was filed before the North Cotabato Provincial Prosecutor office under docket number XII- 06-INV-218-0048 by te Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
Named respondents in the case were: Salahudin Hassa, Lutre Aman, Tasly Saligan, Norodrin Haman, Datu Ali Camsa, Sandali Sindatok, Jordan Kamad, and Tahir Abubakar, all residents of Datu Paglas, Maguindanao and members of Dawlah Islamiya- Hassan Group.
The Al Khobar Group, is an organized crime group formed out of a a dismantled group of operating under the Special Operations Group of MILF in the early 2000s and were responsible for extortion and bombing activities in Central Mindanao.
Sinas recalled that that the explosion incident happened on January 27, 2021 after a Yellow Bus Lines-bus was about to drop a passenger at the National Hi-way, near an abandoned ticket booth, located at Brgy Sibsib, North Cotabato, that claimed the life of a fruit vendor identified as Gina Paunon, 53 years old, resident of Brgy F. Cajelo, Tulunan, North Cotabato and injured Ryan Panibayo, 28 ears, a resident of Brgy Nabundasan, Tulunan, North Cotabato and Lorester Hilbero a resident of Tulunan, North Cotabato.
In the Post Blast Investigation done by the Team EOD of Cotabato on January 28, 2021, it was concluded that the explosion was caused by an Improvised Explosive Devise and was designed as a Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device (RCIED) intended to function thru wireless command detonation.
Thru the collective effort of the Intelligence and Investigating units from the AFP and PNP, North Cotabato PPO and other National Support Units, many witnesses were gathered and sworn testimonies were obtained in the identification of the perpetrators by showing the rouges gallery of the suspected groups responsible for the said incident, the Chief PNP said. (PNP-PIO)
