Back to Search ResultsIncident Summary:
12/18/2008: On Thursday afternoon, around 1330, in one of two linked bombings, on Aquinaldo St., in Iligan, Lanao del Norte, Philippines, assailants remotely detonated two improvised explosive devices within a 15-minute time period. The two IEDs were hidden at a baggage counter in the Uni-City Department Store and at a baggage counter in Jerry's Shoppers Plaza, killing two baggage handlers, wounding 41 civilians, and damaging the two department stores. No group claimed responsibility, although some people believed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was responsible. The MILF denied responsibility. Eid Kabalu, MILF civil relations chief, said he talked with rebel commanders operating in Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur and all of them said they had nothing to do with the attacks.Overview
GTD ID:
200812180014
When:
2008-12-18
Country:
Philippines
Region:
Southeast Asia
Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:
Lanao del Norte
City:
Iligan
What
| Target Type: Business | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of Entity | Uni-City Department Store | ||
| Specific Description | The Uni-City Department Store | ||
| Nationality of Target | Philippines | ||
| Hostages | No |
| Property Damage | Yes |
| Extent of Property Damage | Unknown |
| Value of Property Damage | Unknown |
How
| Type | Sub-type |
|---|---|
| Explosives | Other Explosive Type |
| Weapon Details | |
| An improvised explosive device was used in the attack. | |
| Suicide Attack? | No |
| Part of Multiple Incident? | Yes |
| Criterion 1 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 2 (more) | Yes |
| Criterion 3 (more) | Yes |
| Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) | No |
| Additional Information | This was one of two related attacks (cf.200812180015). The available sources listed the injuries for this attack from between 45 and 54 to 41, and because no majority figures were reported, the lowest proferred casualty figures were used in order to preserve statistical accuracy in the database. The available sources listed the fatalities for these attacks cumulatively as two, and the injuries for these attacks cumulatively as 41, so these figures have been distributed evenly for these cases in order to preserve statistical accuracy in the database. The Moro Islamic Front denied responsibility for the attack. |
Who
| Group Name | Claimed Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) (suspected) | No |
| Number of Perpetrators | Unknown |
| Number of Captured Perpetrators | 0 |
| Total Number of Casualties | 1 Fatalities / 20 Injured |
| Total Number of Fatalities | 1 |
| Number of U.S. Fatalities | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrator Fatalities | 0 |
| Total Number of Injured | 20 |
| Number of U.S. Injured | 0 |
| Number of Perpetrators Injured | 0 |
Sources
| National Counterterrorism Center, "Two Civilians Killed, Fifty-Four Others Wounded in Multiple IED Attacks by Suspected MILF in Iligan, Lanao Del Norte, Philippines," Worldwide Incidents Tracking System, November 30, 2009. |
| Xinhua News Agency, "Twin Blasts Hit South Philippine Malls," LexisNexis Academic, Xinhua News Agency, December 18, 2008. |
| Deutsche Presse-Agentur, "Philippine Leader Visits Victims of Twin Bombings in the South," LexisNexis Academic, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, December 19, 2008. |
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