ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/20 August) – Authorities have released a computer-generated cartographic sketch of a suspect in last week’s bombing of a passenger bus in this city.
Task Group 9224-Suterville, a team composed of various law enforcement units has been tasked to handle last Thursday’s twin explosions – aboard a bus and near a mosque.
Seven people were injured when an improvised bomb exploded inside a Rural Transit of Mindanao Inc. (RTMI) bus with body number 9224 while it was approaching the terminal in Barangay Guiwan around 9:30pm Thursday.
Nobody was killed or injured when another explosive went off about an hour later near the mosque at Suterville, Barangay Campo Islam.
City police officer-in-charge Senior Supt. James Mejia, who heads the task group, today disclosed that the sketch was based on the description given by the bus conductor.
The suspect was described as male, 29-32 years old, medium in built, 5’5” to 5’6” in height, and with dark complexion.
Mejia said that some of the passengers have affirmed the description of the suspect, who reportedly boarded the bus along with three other individuals in Barangay Culianan, this city.
The identity of the bus conductor was withheld for security reasons.
Mejia said the four disembarked when the bus stopped and unloaded passengers in front of a shopping mall in Barangay Putik, which is several hundred meters away from the bus terminal in Barangay Guiwan.
He said they were comparing the sketch with their rouge gallery for possible identification of the suspect.
But the police official refused to name any group that could be behind the twin bomb explosions.
The task group has yet to come up with suspects in the explosion which took place near the mosque. (MindaNews)