Philippine police are seeking three people — two men and one woman — for questioning about their possible involvement in the Davao City market explosion that killed over a dozen people on Friday, as reported by CNN. Reuters adds words that Philippine officials believe Islamic State-linked rebels are to blame for the explosion that occurred in President Rodrigo Duterte’s hometown, but the BBC adds that it may have been an allied group that launched this attack.
CNN reported the explosion was created by a device that was made of mortar rounds, which ended up killing 14 people and injuring 68 people, 15 of which are in critical condition. Officials have claimed Islamist militant group Abu Sayyaf has taken responsibility for the blast, but that claim has not been authenticated. The attack comes on the heels of Duterte beginning an overseas trip to Brunei, which he then cancelled. The Philippine president called the bombing an “act of terrorism” and said he is not above allowing citizens to do their own brand of policing:
“We know that this is not a fascist state. I cannot control the movement of the citizens of the city and every Filipino has the right to enter and leave Davao. It is unfortunate we cannot stop and frisk anybody for just any reason.”
Reuters reported Philippine officials believe Abu Sayyaf committed the bombing in order to disrupt the country’s military presence, as it recently deployed 2,500 troops in order to “destroy” the militant group.