Blast kills Philippine legislator

[frigidmagi]

BBC

A powerful explosion has hit part of the Philippine House of Representatives killing two people, among them a member of Congress, police say.

Congressman Wahab Akbar was killed alongside his driver in a blast just after 2000 local time (1200 GMT) in the south wing of the chamber.

Witnesses said the ground shook and parts of the ceiling collapsed and chunks of the facade were dislodged.

A session of Congress had just ended at the complex north of Manila.

"It was definitely a bomb or a command-detonated explosive," Jose de Venecia, speaker of the House of Representatives, told the AFP news agency.

National police chief, Avelino Razon, agreed.

"At this point in time I'm saying it's a bomb, but I can't say what type of bomb," he told the Associated Press.

One witness said the blast appeared to come from a car parked outside the building.

Police have sealed off the area in Quezon City.

[Soontir948]

I wonder if he thought, "It's a trap!".

Sorry.

I thought it was Indonesia that had trouble with their Muslim population.

[frigidmagi]

In Indonesia the muslims are the majority, while there is some elements of terrorist action (the Bali bombing for example) and unrest, it's not as violent or organized on average as in the Philippines. The Muslims of the southern islands have literally been fighting for generations.