Islamic State claims bombing that killed at least 4 at Philippines Catholic mass
- The explosion ripped through a gymnasium at Mindanao State University in the southern Philippines where a Catholic Mass was taking place on Sunday
- The blast in Marawi, a city besieged by pro-Islamic State militants in 2017, followed the killing of 11 combatants in a military operation on Friday
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on a Catholic mass on Sunday in the southern Philippines, which police said killed at least four people.
“The soldiers of the caliphate detonated an explosive device on a large gathering of Christians ... in the city of Marawi,” the group said in a statement on its Telegram channels.
The attack, which also wounded dozens, took place during a Catholic Mass in a university gymnasium in the southern city of Marawi on the island of Mindanao.
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and most heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists,” said Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.
“Extremists who wield violence against the innocent will always be regarded as enemies to our society,” the president said.
The blast in Marawi, a city besieged by pro-Islamic State militants for five months in 2017, followed the killing of 11 combatants in a military operation on Friday in Maguindanao del Sur some 200km away.
Urging calm, Marcos posted on the social media platform X that he had instructed the national police and armed forces “to ensure the protection and safety of civilians and the security of affected and vulnerable communities”.
“Rest assured we will bring the perpetrators of this ruthless act to justice.”
Army Major General Gabriel Viray III called the attack at the Mindanao State University “a terror act”, speaking to reporters as explosive disposal experts were deployed.
“Right now we are on heightened alert and our troops remain vigilant as we are determining the motive and identifying the perpetrators to really ascertain who was behind it,” Viray said.
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Viray said at least four people were killed by the explosion, including three women, and 50 others were taken to hospital for treatment of mostly minor injuries.
Military officials surveyed the gymnasium, which appeared intact except for burn marks in the centre where the explosion occurred, according to images shared by the government of Lanao del Sur on its Facebook account. White plastic chairs were strewn about.
“I condemn the violent bombing incident that transpired this morning,” Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jnr said in a statement.
“Terroristic attacks on educational institutions must also be condemned because these are places that promote the culture of peace.”
Videos posted by DZBB radio on X showed rescuers carrying injured people out of the gym on plastic chairs.
Regional police director Brigadier General Allan Nobleza said investigators were assessing if the explosion was caused by a homemade bomb or a grenade.
The coastguard said in a statement it had directed its districts to intensify pre-departure inspection at ports.
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Mindanao State University is “deeply saddened and appalled by the act of violence that occurred during a religious gathering”, it said in a statement on Facebook. “We unequivocally condemn in the strongest possible terms this senseless and horrific act.”
The university said it was suspending classes until further notice.
The southern Philippines is the homeland of minority Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation and the scene of decades-old separatist rebellion.
The largest armed insurgent group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, signed a 2014 peace deal with the government, considerably easing decades of fighting. But a number of smaller armed groups rejected the peace pact and press on with bombings and other attacks while evading government offensives.
Additional reporting by Associated Press, Agence France-Presse
