Powerful Bomb Discovered in Philippines Cathedral
A powerful, homemade bomb has been found in a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Philippines.
A powerful, homemade bomb has been found in a Roman Catholic cathedral in the Philippines. The bomb, which was hidden in a lunch box, was found Friday inside the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in the predominantly Muslim Cotabato City, Police and church officials said.
According to an assistant parish priest at the church, the improvised bomb was delivered five days ago by an old woman who left the lunch box for one of the priests at the Cotabato Immaculate Conception Cathedral.
"We did not know it was a bomb because we noticed [that] the plastic container contained rice," the priest said.
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Made from a 60 mm mortar shell with batteries and a timing device attached, the bomb was powerful enough to kill and cause major damage. However because one wire was not connected, the bomb failed to go off.
The local police chief said police had no suspects and did not know why the church was targeted.
The incident follows shortly after last week's arrest of 16 suspected Islamic militants who were allegedly planning a suicide attack at a crowded Roman Catholic festival.
