Four people were killed and 50 others injured in a terrorist attack during a Catholic mass in the southern Philippines. This was announced by the police and military. The explosion at a Mindanao State University (MSU) gymnasium in Marawi city was likely caused by a homemade bomb, Army divisional commander Maj. Gen. Gabriel Viray said.
He added: “This is a terrorist act, probably carried out by the (Islamist) Daulah Islamija Maute group.” The four fatalities were three women and one man, it was said. The injured were taken to hospitals.
Marawi City is located a good 800 kilometers south of the capital Manila. Regional police director Allan Nobleza said the explosion may have been in retaliation for the deaths of 11 militants from the Daulah Islamija Maute group in a military offensive on Friday in nearby Maguindanao province.
Marawi was the scene of a five-month siege by Islamist militants in 2017 that killed more than 1,200 people, including civilians. The attack reduced the city to rubble and led to the displacement of around 200,000 people.
