PNP searching for child of alleged Jolo suicide bombers

“We are looking into that, yung information na yan na merong silang iniwan na anak dito sa Pilipinas (the information that they left a child here in the Philippines),” Albayalde told reporters on Wednesday. (File photo by Joey O. Razon/PNA)

MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) is now looking for the child of the alleged suicide bombers behind the Roman Catholic cathedral twin bomb blasts in Jolo, Sulu last month.

PNP Chief, Director General Oscar Albayalde, said the child can help identify the culprits through DNA test.

“We are looking into that, yung information na yan na merong silang iniwan na anak dito sa Pilipinas (the information that they left a child here in the Philippines),” Albayalde told reporters on Wednesday.

“Hindi natin alam kung 10 years old, kung babae o lalaki, but we have information na posibleng meron silang iniwan na anak dito (We don’t know if the child is 10 years old, a girl or a boy, but we have information that they possibly left a child here),” he added.

Investigators found two pairs of severed feet belonging to a man and a woman at the crime scene, boosting initial findings that the bombers could have been a foreign couple.

The feet did not match any of the 23 casualties of the twin blasts, according to investigators.

Albayalde said a pair of severed feet matches the DNA of part of a neck recovered from the blast site.

He said investigators are coordinating with their counterparts in Indonesia, following reports that the suicide bombers were Indonesian nationals.

“Actually the Indonesian police was here about two weeks ago to help us find out,” Albayalde said.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said the Indonesian government is willing to assist in the investigation.

It was Año who first said that the suicide bombers were Indonesians, based on post-blast and forensic investigation and testimonies of the survivors.