Explosion hits Jolo, Sulu at noon time on August 24, 2020. The PNP Explosives Ordnance Disposal unit was requested to the scene to sweep the area for possible secondary devices. Contributed Photo
MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Tuesday it would send a forensics team to Jolo town in Sulu to assist security forces in determining the identity of the bombers responsible for the twin explosions Monday that killed at least 15 people.
According to NBI officer-in-charge Eric Distor, a team composed of 5 to 7 members with background in forensics will be deployed in Jolo.
Aside from recovering DNA samples from the suspected perpetrators, the team would also gather and analyze the fragments of the bomb in the area and determine the type of explosives used.
Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana had said earlier that the Indonesian widow of the first Filipino suicide bomber could be behind the double bombing that ripped through Jolo.
Prior to the attack, authorities had been hunting down 2 female suicide bombers in the area, including the suspect in Monday's blast.
She was the widow of Norman Lasuca, who set off a bomb strapped to his torso in Indanan town in June 2019, killing 6 people. The other alleged bomber being tracked down is the Filipino wife of Abu Dalha, a subleader of an Abu Sayyaf unit, Sobejana said.
Authorities need to conduct a DNA test on body parts left in the crime scene to determine which of these women was the suicide bomber.
— Reports from Niko Baua, ABS-CBN News
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