| Rizal Day bombings | |
|---|---|
| Location | Metro Manila,Philippines |
| Date | December 30, 2000; 24 years ago (2000-12-30) |
| Target |
|
Attack type | Black powder bombs |
| Deaths | 22 |
| Injured | ~100 |
| Perpetrators | Islamist terrorists (namelyAbu Sayyaf andJemaah Islamiyah) |
TheRizal Day bombings, also referred to as theDecember 30 bombings, were a series of bombings that occurred aroundMetro Manila in thePhilippines on December 30, 2000. The explosions occurred within a span of a few hours, killing 22 people and injuring over 100 others.[1][2][3]
The blasts occurred during a national holiday in the Philippines, where December 30 is known asRizal Day, commemorating the martyrdom of the country's national hero,José Rizal.
Five locations were bombed almost simultaneously within the span of an hour. All of the locations were situated withinMetro Manila on the island ofLuzon.
ThePhilippine National Police identified the bombs as comprising one-kilogramblack-powder, detonated using timing devices.[citation needed] In addition, confessions by the convicted perpetrators describe the bombs as made ofammonium nitrate-based explosives. Most of the components, such as blasting caps and detonation cords, were discovered to have come from the city ofTalisay in the southern province ofCebu. The town is known for the production of blasting caps used inillegal fishing.[5]
Initially, variousIslamic groups were suspected of the bombings, including theJemaah Islamiyah, theMoro Islamic Liberation Front, and theMoro National Liberation Front.[1]
In September 2003, almost three years after the incident, the case remained unsolved for which the authorities responsible were berated by then-senate presidentFranklin Drilon.[6]
In May 2003, Saifullah Yunos (a.k.a. Mukhlis Yunos), a suspect in the bombings, was arrested in the southern city ofCagayan de Oro as he was about to board a plane toManila. Police were alerted to the suspect when he failed to explain bandages on his face and arms.[7] A month later, he confessed to a level of involvement in the bombings. A member of theMoro Islamic Liberation Front's special operations group, he was charged with multiple murders and attempted murders for his role in the bombings.[8]
In the following years, several members of theJemaah Islamiyah were arrested for their suspected involvement in the bombings. In 2004, two Muslim men, Mamasao Naga (a.k.a. Zainal Paks) and Abdul Pata (a.k.a. Mohamad Amir) were arrested by Philippine armed forces inMarawi City. They were supposedly identified byFathur Rahman Al-Ghozi, a known member of theJemaah Islamiyah, as the ones responsible for the LRT-1 train cab bombing.[2][4][9]
The MILF and the MNLF were later cleared by the Philippine National Police of any involvement in the attacks.
Fathur Rahman Al-Ghozi, anIndonesian national and member of the known terrorist groupJemaah Islamiyah, was convicted and sentenced to 17 years in prison for illegal possession of explosives in relation to the Rizal Day bombing incidents. In July 2003, Al-Ghozi, along with several other accomplices, escaped from their holding cell atCamp Crame.[10] Al-Ghozi was later killed in a firefight with Philippine authorities on October 13, 2003.[3]
On January 23, 2009, the three Rizal Day bombers, Mukhlis Hadji Yunos, Abdul Fatak Paute, and Mamasao Naga, were sentenced by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 29, under Judge Cielito Mendaro-Grulla, for up to 20 years in imprisonment for multiple murders and multiple attempted murders.[11]
In December 2006, almost six years after the bombings, Metro Manila police went on heightened alert due to bomb scares and the prospect of follow-up attacks on the anniversary of the bombings.[12] TheAFP followed suit days after, deploying numerous bomb squads and medical teams to bothFort Bonifacio andLuneta.[13] In addition, the PNP's Explosives and Ordnance Division andSWAT deployed teams toLRT-1 stations along Taft Avenue, near one of the original bombing sites.[14]
The bombings were briefly mentioned in one of the segments in the 2023 film,Ang Duyan ng Magiting, an official entry to the 19th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
