Four people have been killed and dozens injured in a bomb attack on a Catholic mass in the Philippines.
The blast occurred during a regular service at the gymnasium of Mindanao State University in Marawi, the country's largest Muslim city, regional police chief Allan Nobleza said.
Police Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta said more than 50 people were injured and hospitalized in the attack, which President Ferdinand Marcos blamed on “foreign terrorists.”
Other security officials said the bombing may have been a retaliation attack for a series of military operations against Islamist militant groups in recent days.
Photos posted on the Lanao del Sur government's Facebook page showed several overturned plastic chairs and debris surrounding a black spot on the gymnasium floor.
Police Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta said more than 50 people were injured and hospitalized in the attack, which President Ferdinand Marcos blamed on “foreign terrorists.”
Other security officials said the bombing may have been a retaliation attack for a series of military operations against Islamist militant groups in recent days.
University student Chris Jurado, 21, told local media from his hospital bed that the explosion occurred during the first Bible reading of morning Mass at 7 a.m. local time.
He said: 'It was really sudden and everyone ran away.
'When I looked back, there were people on the ground. We didn't know what was happening because everything happened so quickly.”
Rowena Mae Fernandez, 19, said she didn't know what the explosion was at first, then others started running: “My companion and I also ran, even though at one point we fell to the ground. That was all I remembered until I got out of the gym and fell again,” she said from the hospital.
“My friends were crying because they saw my injury.”
President Marcos condemned the attack by “foreign terrorists,” describing it as “senseless” and “heinous.”
Military Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner said the bombing may have been a revenge attack for military operations against three Islamic militant groups — Dawlah Islamiyah-Philippines, Abu Sayyaf and Maute — in western Mindanao in recent days.
He said at a press conference: 'That [a revenge attack] is an angle we are looking at.
“Based on the evidence we have collected, a large percentage points to Maute-ISIS.”
Pro-Islamic State Maute and Abu Sayyaf militants – including foreign and local fighters – kept Marawi under siege in 2017.
The Philippine army retook the destroyed city after a five-month battle that claimed more than a thousand lives.
The blast occurred during a regular service at the gymnasium of Mindanao State University in Marawi, the country's largest Muslim city.
Military Chief Gen. Romeo Brawner said the bombing may have been a revenge attack for military operations against three Islamic militant groups — Dawlah Islamiyah-Philippines, Abu Sayyaf and Maute — in western Mindanao in recent days.
Pro-Islamic State Maute and Abu Sayyaf militants – including foreign and local fighters – kept Marawi under siege in 2017
Mindanao State University issued a statement condemning “the act of violence” as it suspended classes and deployed more security personnel on campus
The Philippine army retook the destroyed city after a five-month battle that claimed more than a thousand lives
Militant attacks on buses, Catholic churches and public markets have been a hallmark of decades of unrest in the region
The country's Muslim minority was granted self-rule in Bangsamoro under former President Rodrigo Duterte as part of efforts to counter the temptation of violent extremism
The country's Muslim minority was granted self-rule in Bangsamoro under former President Rodrigo Duterte as part of efforts to counter the temptation of violent extremism
“There are strong indications of a foreign element (in Sunday's attack),” Defense Minister Gilbert Teodoro told reporters.
Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao del Sur are part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The country's Muslim minority was granted self-rule in Bangsamoro under former President Rodrigo Duterte as part of efforts to counter the temptation of violent extremism.
Militant attacks on buses, Catholic churches and public markets have been a hallmark of decades of unrest in the region.
Manila signed a peace treaty with the country's largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, in 2014, ending their deadly armed insurgency.
But smaller groups of Muslim fighters opposed to the peace deal remain, including militants who profess allegiance to the Islamic State group. There are also communist rebels active in the region.
Mindanao State University has issued a statement condemning “the act of violence” as it suspended classes and deployed more security personnel on campus.
“We stand in solidarity with our Christian community and all those affected by this tragedy,” the university said.
Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra called on members of the Muslim and Christian communities to remain united.
“Our city has long been a beacon of peaceful coexistence and harmony, and we will not allow such acts of violence to overshadow our collective commitment to peace and unity,” Gandamra said in a statement condemning the attack.