RP seize bomb-making chemicals, nab 4

RP seize bomb-making chemicals, nab 4

PHILIPPINES: Philippine police, backed by army personnel, arrested four people and seized large quantities of chemicals that could be used to make bombs during a dawn raid on Tuesday near Manila, officials said.

The government raid near Lucena City, 100 kilometers southeast of Manila, followed a wave of bombings in this southeast Asian island chain.

Authorities recovered three tons of ammonium nitrate, a ton of potassium nitrate and a small quantity of potassium cyanide from a warehouse, regional military spokesman Major Jose Broso said.

Four caretakers of the warehouse were held for questioning, Broso said. They insisted the seized chemicals were covered by government permits. Ammonium nitrate is also a commonly used fertilizer in the Philippines. --AFP