Two arrested with bomb near Manila cathedral: Police

Two Muslim men who were carrying a home-made bomb in a van near the Manila Cathedral and the elections commission office have been arrested, police in the Philippines said today.

Police stopped the men’s van at a checkpoint in Manila’s historic Intramuros district late yesterday and took them into custody after a plastic pipe filled with explosive was found in their vehicle, Metropolitan Manila police chief Ricardo de Leon said.

Manila Cathedral and the national elections commission are both located in the area.

Experts are examining the bomb and questioning the two men to determine whether they intended to stage an attack and if they belonged to any Muslim rebel group, de Mr Leon told The Associated Press by telephone.

The explosive was ready to be detonated, he said.

Military and police forces have been on heightened alert ahead of May 10 national elections and because of concerns over possible terrorist attacks. Hundreds of police were also deployed around Manila yesterday to guard May Day protests.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced on March 30 the arrests of suspected members of the Muslim extremist group Abu Sayyaf who allegedly planned to use a cache of TNT to stage bombings in the capital. Police said one suspect admitted having planted a bomb on a ferry in late February that triggered a fire, killing more than 100 people.