Philippine security forces have arrested three suspects from the Middle East allegedly involved in a plot to bomb the US, British and Australian embassies in Manila, officials said yesterday.
Philippine Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita confirmed that two men were arrested last month in the southern island of Mindanao and were being interrogated by military intelligence.
A third man, believed to be a Jordanian, was arrested recently in Manila, said a government security official who did not want to be named.
"Indications are that they were part of a plot to bomb at least four foreign embassies in Manila," the source said.
He said that the US, British and Australian embassies were believed to have been among the targets, although he gave no further details.
"There is intelligence information that they are probably terrorists," Ermita told reporters during a security conference in Manila. "Their objective was to create chaos."
Asked if they had links to the Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf militant groups, he said "most likely" but declined to give any further details.
A source at a Western embassy said the embassy was aware of the claims and was still trying to verify the reliability of the information.
A security consultant, who did not want to be named, said: "Despite the alleged bomb plot, security around the three embassies had not been increased."
Similar allegations surfaced on Feb. 14 when the government announced it had uncovered a plot by Islamic militants linked to the al-Qaeda network to assassinate Philippine President Gloria Arroyo and bomb foreign embassies.
In December, an Egyptian teacher was arrested for allegedly plotting a Christmas bomb attack in the southern Philippines. He was later freed on bail and was said to have been escorted out of the country by Egyptian embassy officials.
FINANCING
Meanwhile, a security expert said yesterday that proceeds from the sale of counterfeit cigarettes, medicines, CDs and DVDs that are regularly smuggled into the southern Philippines could be helping fund al-Qaeda-linked militants in the region.
Jeffrey Williams, managing director of private security and investigation firm Orion Support Inc, warned innocent purchases from Internet sites and street markets of fake Nike merchandise, counterfeit CDs and DVDs could be funding militant attacks.
"Terrorist organizations are attracted to counterfeiting and piracy because it's a lucrative business, but also allows terrorists to remain anonymous," Williams told an anti-terrorism forum in Manila.
"It's a high profit and low-risk operation that has grown exponentially," he said.
Citing a study made by Singapore's International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, Williams said trade in counterfeit products was estimated to have reached US$650 billion annually, exceeding the global narcotics trade at US$322 billion.
The Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce has estimated that the global counterfeit market accounts for more than 9 percent of today's world trade, Williams said.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
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