(UPDATED), 1st UPDATE. Four suspects in the deadly Jolo, Sulu church blast surrendered to the police today in a bid to clear their names.
All four denied any involvement in the explosions, which occurred on Sunday and left 21 people dead.
The first two suspects surrendered to the police at 10am today, according to ABS-CBN News. While two other suspects surrendered in the afternoon, reported the Philippine Star.
The men became suspects after they were allegedly caught on CCTV footage from the crime scene.
The two suspects who first surrendered were Alshaber J. Arbi, 18, and Gerry Isnajil who surrendered to the police with the help of local officials, reported GMA News.
According to Radyo Inquirer, Arbi was the one wearing a blue-green jacket in the CCTV footage. He was the person whom authorities suspected was the brother of bandit leader Surakah Ingog identified with the alias “Kamah”.
Both men denied their involvement in the blast and said they were just going to the market at the time of the incident.
Col. Gerry Besana, the spokesperson of the AFP’s Western Mindanao Command, told ABS-CBN News that the man wearing the blue-green jacket was seen in the CCTV footage tinkering with his cellphone, which authorities suspect was used to detonate the bomb.
Sulu Police chief Sr. Supt. Pablo Labra said he was convinced that the two men were innocent.
The other two suspects who surrendered yesterday were Alsimar Mohammad Albi, 24 and Julius Abdulzam Albi, 17, reported GMA News. They both declared their innocence and said they were just going to buy medicine for Alsimar’s mother who was at the hospital.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Rey Divino Pabayo, commander of the Joint Task Force Sulu said the suspect known as Kamah could not be seen in the CCTV footage taken from the crime scene.
Government operatives raided a house Kamah was staying in yesterday but he managed to escape. However, a man suspected to be his kin died during the ensuing gunfight.
Correction: The earlier version of the article mentioned that the first two suspects who surrendered were going to buy medicine. However, they were actually going to the market at the time of the explosion.
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