'Business rivalry behind bomb attack'

'Business rivalry behind bomb attack'

MANADO, North Sulawesi: North Sulawesi Provincial Police chief Brig. Gen. Ismerda Lebang said here on Thursday that a business rivalry was behind the bomb attack against the Philippine consulate general office on Oct. 12.

Speaking during a local TV interactive dialog, Ismerda stated that it was a rivalry between local residents and a group of Filipino settlers over control of illegal gold mining activities in Tetelu, Dimembe district, Minahasa regency, which triggered the attack.

The blast destroyed the consulate gate, demolished a security post and broke some windows. There were no casualties reported in the attack launched, he said, by nine Filipino settlers, led by ET, 33.

The other perpetrators were identified by their initials only as YB, 31, IU, 26, FG, 29, RK, 24, RK, 21, NP, 23, 33, HN, 30 and JT, 58, Ismerda said.

Ismerda could not explain why the settlers attacked their own consulate. However, he once again stressed that the bomb attack was not related to the Bali bombings that occurred on the same day.

He said officials from the U.S. Bureau of Federal Investigation (FBI) and the Philippines had also visited the blast site. --Antara