Six killed in Philippines bomb blasts

Two bombs exploded in Zamboanga, a predominantly Christian city in the Philippines' Muslim heartland, killing six people and injuring more than 144.

Two department stores were devastated in the second deadly bomb attack in two weeks in Zamboanga.

Early suspicion fell on the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group. Officials said there were similarities with an Oct. 2 explosion that killed four people, including an American soldier, which was blamed on the Abu Sayyaf - a Muslim extremist group notorious for kidnappings and murders. TNT apparently was used in both attacks.

The usual noontime bustle of Zamboanga's downtown area instantly became a gory scene of debris, blood and chaos. Panicked shoppers scattered as police cars and pickup trucks were turned into ambulances to ferry the wounded to hospitals that quickly were overwhelmed.

Nervous police bomb squads blew up five suspicious packages, but further examination found they had contained no explosives.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo condemned the latest terrorist strike to hit her impoverished country, a key supporter of the US war on terrorism.

Some 260 American troops have stayed on in Zamboanga, a city of 600,000 in the violence-wracked southern Philippines, from a six-month counterterrorism training exercise aimed at helping local troops fight the Abu Sayyaf. No foreigners were believed to have been injured in Thursday's bombings.

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez refused to speculate on any possible link to Saturday's deadly bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali, saying officials were looking at the Zamboanga attack as "a local concern."

"There is no need to declare a state of emergency and the public has nothing to worry about," Golez said.

Police said 10 people were brought in for questioning, including two foreigners.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but military spokesman Lt. Col. Danilo Servando said suspicion fell on an Abu Sayyaf faction headed by Khaddafy Janjalani, one of five leaders of the group who have been indicted by Washington for a mass kidnapping last year that left 18 hostages dead, including two Americans.

Days before the Oct. 2 bombing, the group had threatened attacks in retaliation for a military offensive against it.

The first blast Thursday occurred at 11:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) at the Shop-o-Rama department store, and was followed a half hour later by a second explosion at the adjacent Shoppers Central store. Police Chief Mario Yanga said the bombs were deposited at counters where shoppers leave packages as they enter.

"The ground shook and pandemonium broke out. People bathed in blood were all screaming and running away from the smoke," said Ofelia Fernandez, who was across the street from the Shop-o-Rama.

Television footage showed victims on stretchers being hauled out of the bombed buildings' lobbies. A bloodied man, with most of his shirt and pants ripped away by a blast, staggered out, helped by a policeman.

Firefighters poured water onto wreckage as medical workers rushed people on gurneys to waiting ambulances.

A truckload of soldiers arrived to secure the area, bringing dogs to sniff for other possible explosives. Two MG-520 attack helicopters hovered overhead as armored personnel carriers patrolled the ground. Checkpoints quickly were thrown up.

All shops in the city's commercial center closed, and police blocked off streets with cars and yellow tape. Trapped employees were later led out one by one. Many schools around the city sent students home.

Most public buildings in metropolitan areas in the Philippines have armed guards at entrances, sometimes with metal detectors, who are supposed to search packages. But Yanga said they often become complacent.

"These malls are always being lectured, but their security remains lax," he said.

The blasts took place as ceremonies were being held in the city to hand over command of the military's Southern Command from Lt. Gen. Ernesto Carolina to Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya.

Abaya and other top military and police officials rushed to the scene. Abaya appealed to the public to help the government deter terrorists, and dismissed suggestions of links between the bombings and the hand-over ceremony.

"I don't think that's important, the timing. Terrorists can strike at the most unexpected time for as long as they can inflict the maximum casualties to helpless victims in order to sow fear," he said.

Philippine officials have linked the Abu Sayyaf to al-Qaida, citing alleged attempts by Osama bin Laden's lieutenants to provide the guerrillas with training on explosives and weapons handling in past years.