Police hunt Sibugay grenade attacker

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 29, 2010) – Police have mounted a manhunt for a man tagged as behind a grenade attack that left four people wounded in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Police said four people were wounded in the weekend attack in the town of Imelda. The motive of the attack is still unknown, but police said it has already identified the grenade thrower.

Crime investigators were also investing reports that an old feud may have triggered the attack. Family feud or clan war is not uncommon in the restive southern region where random attacks occur.

Tens of dozens of people had either been killed or wounded in clan wars across Mindanao and the proliferation of illegal weapons and explosives have made it more difficult for authorities to prevent armed clashes among the protagonists.

The feud could sometimes last for decades and would often target innocent clan members. Last year, gunmen who were followers of a powerful clan had brutally murdered 57 people, including at least 32 journalists who were accompanying a political caravan in Maguindanao province in the troubled Muslim autonomous region.

Although most of the clan members had been arrested, their massive wealth and influence are still being feared by many in the region. (Mindanao Examiner)