Ten suicide attackers from Indonesia are suspected of entering the Philippines and could be trying to acquire explosives for attacks in the country, the national security adviser and a news report said yesterday.
Information on the threat was passed to the Philippine government by Indonesian security officials who accompanied President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on a visit to Manila last June, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said. At least one other Asian country has issued the same warning, he added, without identifying which one.
"We were informed that up to 10 Indonesians may have crossed the border and are now in the country," said Gonzales. "There is an effort to acquire materials and position personnel."
Gonzales' latest statement left room for doubt, unlike a similar warning he issued last month that "we know that there are suicide bombers now in the Philippines."
Earlier, Gonzales told ABS-CBN television that metro Manila could be a target. "There are about 10 Indonesian suicide bombers that are in the country today, and we're of course after them," he said.
Philippine authorities have identified some of the possible attackers, Gonzales told reporters.
A government task force has been created to thwart possible attacks and capture the foreign militants, he said.
The Philippines has been hit by major terror strikes, including the bombing of a ferry that killed more than 100 people last year.
Gonzales expressed concern that a political crisis battering Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government could distract authorities from anti-terrorism efforts.
Arroyo stands accused of violating the constitution, betraying public trust, corruption and bribery. An impeachment complaint against her will be deliberated by the House Committee on Justice this week. She has denied any wrongdoing.
Gonzales acknowledged that some might believe that the recent terrorism warnings from the government were being raised to divert the public's attention from the raging political crisis.
But he added: "What we want to relay to the public is that this is a very serious threat and we can't let our guards down. The only effective measure against this is to capture the perpetrators before they do something."
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was