The Mindanao region continues to be rocked with violence after a mosque in Zamboanga City was attacked earlier this morning.
Two unidentified suspects threw a grenade at a mosque located in Logoy Diutay in the village of Talon-talon at 12:20am. The explosion left two people killed and four injured, reported ABS-CBN News.
Rappler identified those killed as Habil Rex, 46, and Bato Sattal, 47. Meanwhile, those injured were Yasson Asgali, Paulo Salahuddin, Albani Jikilani, and Amidz Kassara.
The four were brought to the Zamboanga City Medical Center for treatment.
According to authorities, the fatalities were Muslim religious leaders from the cities of Lamitan and Isabela in Basilan who were sleeping inside the mosque when the grenade exploded, GMA News reported. They were in Zamboanga to teach Islam to the children, according to one of the survivors.
The suspects fled on foot from the crime scene. The Philippine National Police’s regional director in the Zamboanga Peninsula Chief Supt. Emmanuel Licup believes that the suspects may have a personal grudge or could be “riding on the Jolo incident.”
On Sunday, the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, Sulu was bombed while mass was ongoing, leaving at least 21 dead and 111 injured. Authorities believe that members of the jihadist militant group Abu Sayyaf were behind the attack.
At present, Zamboanga City’s police are in full alert and various checkpoints have been set up in different areas.
