ZAMBOANGA CITY—A suspected bomber was killed in a shootout with policemen in Basilan province, a police official said on Wednesday.
Chief Insp. Gean Gallardo, Lamitan City police chief, identified the suspected bomber as a certain Jabier Pinglias, a resident of Sitio Tinabacan, Barangay Maganda, in that city.
Gallardo said Pinglias was killed in a shootout around 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday in sitio Tinambacan.
Gallardo added that the shootout occured after Pinglias pulled out a caliber .45 pistol and fired on the approaching policemen who went to Tinambacan to serve an arrest warrant against the suspect.
Gallardo said Pinglias has a standing warrant of arrest as the latter is facing a criminal case before a court in Basilan province.
He said Pinglias was rushed to the Lamitan City District Hospital but was declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Gallardo added that policemen recovered from the possession of Pinglias a caliber .45 pistol with ammunition, a dagger, improvised bomb parts, a mobile-phone battery attached to a circuit board and two sachets of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu.
Gallardo disclosed that Pinglias was allegedly involved in the Lamitan City port bombing and in the bombing attempt at the police station.
A water tank and the panoramic-glass window of the passenger terminal building were destroyed when an improvised bomb exploded around 9:20 p.m. on Monday at the port in Barangay Kulay Bato, Lamitan City.
Another homemade bomb, which failed to explode, was recovered around 7 p.m. on Monday in front of the police station in Barangay Matibay, Lamitan City.