Grenade explodes inside van near polling center in Lanao del Sur

One person was injured when a grenade exploded near a polling center in Marantao, Lanao del Sur, the military said, an hour before it was to close to end the conduct of the midterm elections on Monday.

Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., commander of the Philippine Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, said three persons, including one identified as a member of the Moro Islamic Liberaion Front (MILF), were responsible for the grenade that exploded inside a van at 5 p.m.

Brawner said the injured was among the suspects who attempted to throw the explosive device outside the vehicle but it detonated immediately.

“This happened in Marantao…They were just parked [outside the polling center] and our troops are still in the area, particularly along the highway,” Brawner told reporters in a phone-patch interview.

He also said that the suspects may have attempted to toss the grenade towards an unidentified soldier who was among troops “securing the polling center [nearby].”

Brawner said that when the van was searched the, another IED (improvised explosive device) was found.

He said that while one of the suspects belonged to the MILF the perpetrators may have been part of a private armed group.

The identities of the other two, however, and where they cae from have not been determined. DEMPSEY REYES

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