Bomb in Makati Mall Kills 8 in Philippines: Abu Sayyaf Likely Suspects
By Zachary Abuza
A bomb ripped through a large shopping mall, in the middle of Makati, the financial district of the Philippines, at around 1PM Friday, local time. Glorietta 2 is jam-packed most of the day. Eight people were killed and more than a hundred were wounded. Police investigators are beginning their forensic testing, but already have announced that the bomb was “caused by a ‘hard explosive,’ mostly likely TNT or C4.” The Philippine Daily Inquirer has reported that the “explosion left an eight-meter (26-foot) wide crater on the ground floor and blew a hole through the roof on the second floor.” While no group has claimed responsibility, a senior police official described the attack as "most likely a deliberate attack." The immediate suspects are the Abu Sayyaf, with elements of Jemaah Islamiyah. Most Abu Sayyaf attacks outside of the troubled southern islands since 2004, have also included members of the Rajah Solaiman Movement, a group of radical converts to Islam who work very closely with the Abu Sayyaf.