The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it initiated an investigation on an alleged Japanese man who sent bomb threats to government offices.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said that he has ordered a thorough investigation on the identity of the said Japanese.
On Monday, several government agencies received a bomb threat via email from a certain Takahiro Karasawa.
In the email, Karasawa claimed that bombs would rock major Philippine government agencies on February 12 at around 3:34 PM.
No such incident was recorded. However, Tansingco said that they will be working with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to determine whether the suspect is indeed in the country.
“We will also be verifying if this is his real identity, or if he is a prankster using a fictitious name,” he added.
Tansingco warned that they would immediately be able to implement hold orders, blacklist orders, or arrest warrants issued against the suspect.
“The national government is not taking this lightly,” said Tansingco. “Any security threat shall be met with the harshest penalties of the law,” he added.
BI to probe alleged Japanese man involved in bomb threats
Tansingco said that a quick check of their database revealed at least four namesakes, who are all not in the country.
The BI said that it would forward the results of their verification to the NBI and DOJ to assist in the investigation.
It was reported that someone using the same name also made similar threats to other countries a few years ago.
Earlier, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Boying Remulla directed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct a thorough investigation into the alarming bomb threat sent by an unverified e-mail account to several government agencies and local government units.
The unknown e-mail sender identified himself as Takahiro Karasawa, supposedly a Japanese lawyer from a certain “Steadiness Law Office,” and a highly knowledgeable bomb-maker.
In the e-mail, Karasawa emphasized that bombs would rock major Philippine government agencies on February 12, 2024, at approximately 3:34 pm.
“There should be no place for pranks or spreading fear among our people. Let this be a warning to those behind this that we will not tolerate such acts and we will go after you with the full extent of the law,” Secretary Remulla warned.
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