Explosion at an Airport Terminal in Southern Philippines - 2003-03-04

A severe explosion occurred today outside one of the airport terminals in southern Philippines, resulting in at least 19 deaths and over 144 injuries. Philippine police have arrested several individuals in connection with this explosion. According to officials, one of the deceased is American, and three other U.S. citizens have been injured. The explosion took place at the airport in Davao City on the Muslim-majority island of Mindanao, just minutes after a Philippine Airlines flight landed. Gloria Arroyo, the President of the Philippines, issued a statement announcing that several individuals have been detained on suspicion of murder and are being interrogated. Arroyo condemned the bombing as a shameless act of terrorism and stated that it would not go unpunished. President Bush also condemned today's bombing, stating that the White House would cooperate with the Manila government to find those responsible. No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing yet, but Philippine officials consider the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, an extremist Islamic group, as one of the potential suspects. This group has denied any responsibility for the bombing and expressed its willingness to cooperate in the investigation.