MANILA - (UPDATE) Indonesian suicide bombers were behind the twin blasts that rocked a church in Jolo, Sulu last Sunday, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Friday.
The military also confirmed that suicide bombers were behind the bomb attack that left 22 dead and at least 100 hurt.
He said the suicide bombers were a couple with ties to the Islamic State.
"Ang talagang nagpasabog dun ay Indonesia suicide bombers. Pero 'yung mga Abu Sayyaf ang nag-guide sa kanila, nag-aral ng target, nag-reconnaissance, surveillance at inihatid 'yung mag-asawa doon sa loob ng simbahan," Año said during his speech at the Barangay Summit on Peace and Order in Palo, Leyte.
(The ones really responsible were Indonesian suicide bombers. But it was the Abu Sayyaf who guided them, studied the target, did reconnaissance, surveillance, and brought the couple to the church.)
A man known as "Kamah," now a suspect in the bombing, acted as one of the guides of the Indonesian couple, Año said.
Año added that he has sources who informed him that the bombings were a "project" of the local terror group Abu Sayyaf.
Sulu Provincial Police director Senior Supt. Pablo Labra said several eyewitnesses pointed to a man and a woman who they believe were responsible for the bombings.
Earlier, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
-with a report from Pia Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News
Jolo blast, Indonesia, Eduardo Año, terrorism, Jolo, Sulu, Abu Sayyaf, ANC, ANC Top, The World Tonight