02/15/2019 Philippines (International Christian Concern) – Last week, an investigation team sent by Indonesia to Manila to investigate the twin bombings that killed 23 people at a Jolo cathedral could not confirm Philippine claims that an Indonesian couple were behind the attack.

A senior counter-terror source in Jakarta told BenarNews that there were no DNA profile of the couple, no finger prints according to the post-mortem done on body parts found at the crime scene.

Although Philippine security forces have arrested and filed murder charges against five suspected members of the Abu Sayyaf, a ragtag band of militants linked with the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, they believe that an Indonesian man and woman were responsible for the Jan. 27 explosions at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo, capital of Sulu province in the southern Philippines.

Early this month, Indonesian investigators arrived in Manila early this month to help probe those suspicions. They worked with the Philippine authorities to try to trace the steps of the male suspect, named “Abu Huda,” and the unnamed woman.

Since returning to Jakarta this week, the Indonesian source told BenarNews that the team of counter-terror investigators has not yet received concrete evidence from Philippine authorities on the involvement of these two Indonesian individuals.

For interviews with Gina Goh, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: [email protected].