A police official said Thursday the female suicide bombers responsible for the twin blasts in Jolo, Sulu on August 24 were Asians, DNA testing confirms.
According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Kris Conrad Gutierrez, spokesperson of the special investigation task group probing the explosions, the DNA tests were not able to identify whether the suicide bombers were Filipinos, said GMA News Online.
“‘Yung result po ng DNA doon sa dalawang accordingly na suicide bombers ay both Asian female. Ang DNA po kasi ay nagbabased sa evidence, ‘yung evidence po na nakalap natin based on the Crime Lab ay sila po ay Asian female,” Gutierrez said in a phone interview.
“Hindi po madetermine ng Crime Lab natin kasi race lang po ang puwede nating madetermine. It’s either Asian o Caucasian, ‘yun ang puwede nating madetermine,” he added.
Aside from the nationality, the tests conducted by the Crime Laboratory also did not determine the bombers’ age.
The DNA tests also revealed that the bombers were not related to those responsible in the Jolo Cathedral bombing last January 27, 2019, Gutierrez noted.
Bombers in Jolo blasts Asians, DNA confirms
“According din naman po sa kanila, mayroon silang standard, ‘yung nangyari doon sa Cathedral, there is no blood relation between doon sa nangyari sa recent bombing and doon sa Cathedral bombers. Ibig sabihin, hindi po sila magkamag-anak o magkapatid,” he said.
Western Mindanao Command chief Major General Corleto Vinluan Jr. earlier said the bombers in the Jolo blasts were Tausugs according to the witnesses.
Philippine Army chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana earlier said one of the suspected Jolo blasts bombers was the wife of Norman Lasuca, while the other one was possibly the wife of Abu Talha, an ISIS liaison to the Abu Sayyaf Group.
Meanwhile, investigations revealed pipe bombs were used in the Jolo blasts that killed 15 people and injured more than 70 people, Gutierrez added.
“Based on the statement na binigay naman po ng mga investigator at ‘yun pong sa Crime Lab, we found out na ang composition na may IED o improvised explosive device is ammonium nitrate fuel oil… ‘yung type po ng IED is pipe bomb…” Gutierrez said.