AIRPORTS ON ALERT AFTER MOSCOW AIRPORT BLAST / SC CONVICTS ABU BOMBERS
MANILA, JANUARY 27, 2011 (STAR) By Rudy Santos - Security has been tightened at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminals and other airports in the country after the terror attack at the airport in Russia that left 35 people dead and scores of passengers wounded.
Aviation police deputy chief Senior Superintendent Manuel Pintado of the lst Police Center for Aviation Security (PCAS) ordered the deployment of K-9 units and other civilian personnel to conduct profiling and keep a tight watch on the terminals.
Pintado said all incoming vehicles are also subject to thorough inspection.
Aviation police officials deployed bomb-sniffing dogs at the airport curbside where passengers are let off.
Security staff had been ordered to be more stringent during inspections.
A suicide bomber was blamed for the attack last Monday at the Domodedovo, Moscow's busiest airport.
No one claimed responsibility for the blast although Islamic militants in the southern Russian region of Chechnya have been blamed for previous attacks in Moscow, including a double suicide bombing on the capital's subway system in March 2010 that resulted in 40 deaths.
It was the second time in seven years that Domodedovo airport was involved in a terrorist attack.
In 2004, two female suicide bombers penetrated the lax security there, illegally bought tickets from airport personnel and boarded planes that exploded in flight and killed 90 people.
Pintado said they are trying to prevent non-passengers from loitering at the curbside at NAIA, the area where relatives send off passengers.
He said the curbside "is the weakest link in securing the airport," since terrorists could stage their attack from the area.
Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) general manager Jose Angel Honrado assured the public that tighter security measures are already in place.
He objected to the suggestion of limiting access to the airport's curbside.
Supreme Court affirms conviction of Abu bombers By Edu Punay (The Philippine Star) Updated January 27, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (1) View comments
MANILA, Philippines - A day after a bus was bombed in Makati, the Supreme Court (SC) affirmed the conviction for murder and frustrated murder of three Abu Sayyaf terrorists found guilty of bombing another bus in Makati on Valentine's Day in 2005.
The SC upheld the decisions of the Court of Appeals and the Makati Regional Trial Court finding guilty Gamal Baharan alias Tapay, Angelo Trinidad alias Abu Khalil, and Rohmat Abdurrohim alias Abu Jackie or Zaky.
"Conspiracy was clearly established from the 'collective acts of the accused-appellants before, during and after the commission of the crime'," read the SC decision.
The SC gave weight to the testimony of Gappal Bannah Asali alias Negro, the fourth suspect, who had turned state witness.
"What can be culled from the testimony of Asali is that the Abu Sayyaf Group was determined to sow terror in Metro Manila, so that they could 'show their anger towards Christians'," read the SC decision.
"It can also be seen that Rohmat, together with (Khadaffy) Janjalani and Abu Solaiman, had carefully planned the Valentine's Day bombing incident, months before it happened."
Asali told the Makati court during trial that Rohmat had trained him to make bombs and explosives.
While undergoing training, he was told that the Abu Sayyaf's mission was to plant bombs in parts of Metro Manila, he added.
It was revealed during trial that Asali was tapped to secure eight kilos of TNT and other bomb-making components.
Asali had testified that the night before the Valentine's Day bombing, Trinidad and Asaran got two more kilos of TNT.
Asali said Abu Solaiman called after the bombing to advise him against going to crowded areas because the bomb had already exploded in Makati.
A day after the bombing, Rohmat congratulated him for the "successful mission," he added.
Four people died and 60 were injured in the 2005 attack, while Tuesday's bombing killed five people and injured 14.
The SC decision was penned by Associate Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno.
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