Suspect arrested in Zamboanga City bombing

Nov 30, 2011, 3:11 GMT

Manila = A suspect has been arrested in a bombing that left three people dead and 28 wounded Sunday at a small hotel in the southern Philippines, Philippine security authorities said Wednesday.

Chief Superintendent Felicisimo Khu, Directorate for Integrated Police Operation in the region, said officers arrested the suspected militant on Tuesday night in Zamboanga City. He refused to provide further details.

A powerful explosion Sunday night in a pension house in Zamboanga City resulted in a fire that destroyed the establishment and affected adjacent areas.

James Macasiar, president of the Zamboanga City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the police and military should tighten security in the city's populated areas.

'Even budget hotels are now targets of terrorists. Security experts should think of ways how they can prevent similar attacks,' he said.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines increased a company-sized troop in Zamboanga to augment security forces in the city in the wake of Sunday's bombing.

No one group claimed responsibility for Sunday's blast, but authorities blamed al-Qaeda linked Abu Sayyaf militants in previous incidents.