Indanan, Sulu ‘suicide bomber’ a female: PNP

In a statement, the PNP Crime Laboratory said of the 20 specimens recovered from the crime scene, 13 were found to be similar to a woman’s DNA. (File Photo: Philippine National Police/Facebook)

MANILA — The recent foiled attack at a military camp in Indanan, Sulu was perpetrated by a female suicide bomber, the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed on Tuesday.

In a statement, the PNP Crime Laboratory said of the 20 specimens recovered from the crime scene, 13 were found to be similar to a woman’s DNA.

However, it said the identification, as well as the nationality of the suspect, is yet to be known.

The suicide bomber was the lone fatality in an explosion at the entrance of the camp of the Army’s 35th Infantry Battalion around 5:45 p.m. on September 8 which is the third this year involving alleged suicide bombers.

On June 28, eight people, including two suicide bombers, were killed in an attack at another military checkpoint in the area.

Earlier this year, at least 23 people were killed while more than a hundred others were wounded in the twin blasts that rocked the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu while a mass was being celebrated.

The Indonesia National Police identified the couple Rullie Rian Zeke and his wife, Ulfah Handayani Saleh, as the perpetrators behind the attack.

The woman reportedly was the one who detonated the first improvised explosive device (IED) inside the church while the man detonated the second IED at the church entrance seconds later.