Five passersby were wounded when a bomb believed planted by Muslim separatists exploded inside the home of a local radio broadcaster in the southern Philippines on Christmas Day, the military said Tuesday.
The military's southern command said suspected members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) planted a homemade bomb at the home of Ustadz Suaib Mohammad Abidin in General Santos city which went off Monday night.
Five people were hit by shrapnel and rushed to a nearby hospital, although there was no immediate word on the fate of Abidin.
The military said Abidin, a broadcaster for local radio DXMD, had received death threats prior to the attack because of his program which criticizes the MILF's guerrilla activities.
Police are also checking whether the attack on Abidin is linked with similar explosions that rocked two cinemas in nearby Cotabato city on Christmas eve. A suspected bomber was killed while five others were wounded in the attacks, which were also blamed on the MILF.
The MILF is the country's largest remaining Muslim insurgent force waging a 22-year rebellion against Manila for the establishment of an independent Islamic state -- ZAMBOANGA (AFP)
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