2014 Ninoy Aquino International Airport bombing plot

Last updated

2014 Ninoy Aquino International Airport bombing plot
DateSeptember 1, 2014
CauseAnti-Chinese resentment
Organised byUnited States Allied Freedom Fighters of the East
OutcomePlot foiled, multiple arrests

In September 2014, terminal three of Ninoy Aquino International Airport was the target of a foiled bombing plot. [1]

Contents

Plot

Three individuals were arrested, and the motivation was initially speculated to be related to Islamist militants. [2] The office building is owned by DMCI Holdings, a company owned by Chinese Filipinos. [3]

Aftermath

Authorities later arrested the leader of the thirteen-year-old organization, a lawyer; previously he was a lawyer for the Moro National Liberation Front. [4] The National Bureau of Investigation stated that the arrest was not related to the bomb plot, but to an "attack" on EDSA in 2004. [5] The "attack" is claimed to be a "protest" by the lawyer, who lost in the 2004 Philippine presidential elections. [6] The lawyer later stated that he did not want his associates to bomb the airport, but to use the explosives on Chinese ships in the Spratly Islands. [4] The lawyer was released on bail. [7]

The lawyer calls his organization "United States Allied Freedom Fighters of the East". [7] Justice Secretary Leila de Lima called the actions of the group "misguided". [8] The Director General of the National Security Council called the group a "dubious organisation led by delusional leaders." [4] The Philippine Armed Forces called the bomb plot "comic relief", while the National Bureau of Investigation did not dismiss the attack. [9]

Effects

The three arrested individuals were charged with illegal possession of explosives. All were represented by a single lawyer, with ties to the Marcos presidency, who claimed that the three are fall guys in a plot by the Aquino Administration to create instability to allow the constitution to be amended so that President Aquino can serve more than one term. [10] The charges were later endorsed by the Department of Justice, but charges of illegal possession of firearms were dropped. [11]

Following the bombing plot, and an unrelated kidnapping of a Chinese teenager, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning advising its nationals not to travel to the Philippines. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation in the Philippines</span>

Transportation in the Philippines covers the transportation methods within the archipelagic nation of over 7,600 islands. From a previously underdeveloped state of transportation, the government of the Philippines has been improving transportation through various direct infrastructure projects, and these include an increase in air, sea, road, and rail transportation and transport hubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninoy Aquino</span> Filipino politician (1932–1983)

Benigno "Ninoy" SimeonAquino Jr., was a Filipino politician who served as a senator of the Philippines (1967–1972) and governor of the province of Tarlac. Aquino was the husband of Corazon Aquino, who became the 11th president of the Philippines after his assassination, and father of Benigno Aquino III, who became the 15th president of the Philippines. Aquino, together with Gerardo Roxas and Jovito Salonga, helped form the leadership of the opposition towards then President Ferdinand Marcos. He was the significant leader who together with the intellectual leader Sen. Jose W. Diokno led the overall opposition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninoy Aquino International Airport</span> Commercial airport serving Metro Manila, Philippines

Ninoy Aquino International Airport, also known as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main international airport serving Metro Manila in the Philippines. Located between the cities of Pasay and Parañaque, about 7 kilometers (4.3 mi) south of Manila proper and southwest of Makati, it is the main gateway for travelers to the Philippines and serves as a hub for PAL Express and Philippine Airlines. It is also the main operating base for AirSWIFT, Cebgo, Cebu Pacific, and Philippines AirAsia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bojinka plot</span> Terrorist attack planned for January 1995

The Bojinka plot was a large-scale, three-phase terrorist attack planned by Ramzi Yousef and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed for January 1995. They planned to assassinate Pope John Paul II; blow up 11 airliners in flight from Asia to the United States, with the goal of killing approximately 4,000 passengers and shutting down air travel around the world; and crash a plane into the headquarters of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Langley, Virginia.

The Rizal Day bombings, also referred to as the December 30 bombings, were a series of bombings that occurred around Metro Manila in the Philippines on December 30, 2000. The explosions occurred within a span of a few hours, killing 22 people and injuring over 100 others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moro conflict</span> Separatist conflict in the Philippines

The Moro conflict was an insurgency in the Mindanao region of the Philippines which involved multiple armed groups. A decades-long peace process has resulted in various peace deals have been signed between the Philippine government and two major armed groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), but other smaller armed groups continue to exist. In 2017, the peace council settled around 138 clan conflicts.

The 2009 New York City Subway and United Kingdom plot was a plan to bomb the New York City Subway as well as a target in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Ninoy Aquino</span> 1983 murder in Manila, Philippines

Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., a former Philippine senator, was assassinated on Sunday, August 21, 1983, on the apron of Manila International Airport. A longtime political opponent of President Ferdinand Marcos, Aquino had just landed in his home country after three years of self-imposed exile in the United States when he was shot in the head while being escorted from an aircraft to a vehicle that was waiting to transport him to prison. Also killed was Rolando Galman who was accused of murdering Aquino.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NAIA Expressway</span> Expressway in the Philippines

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAX), signed as E6 of the Philippine expressway network, is an 12.65-kilometer (7.86 mi) elevated highway in Metro Manila, Philippines, which links the Skyway to Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Entertainment City. Traversing the cities of Pasay, and Parañaque, the NAIAX runs along Andrews Avenue, Electrical Road, and NAIA Road connecting the Skyway to Ninoy Aquino Avenue, Macapagal Boulevard, New Seaside Drive and the Manila–Cavite Expressway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippines AirAsia</span> Low-cost airline of the Philippines

Philippines AirAsia, Inc. is a Philippine low-cost airline based at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay, Metro Manila. The airline is the Philippine affiliate of the Malaysian AirAsia. The airline started as a joint venture among three Filipino investors and AirAsia Investments Ltd., a subsidiary of AirAsia Berhad.

1987 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 1987.

2014 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in the year 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gambling in Metro Manila</span>

Gambling in Metro Manila has been regulated since 1976 when the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) was created through Presidential Decree 1067. Under its charter promulgated in 1983, the 100% state-owned PAGCOR, running under the direct supervision of the Office of the President, serves three crucial roles: to regulate and operate all games of chance in the country, particularly casino gaming; generate funds for the government's infrastructure and socio-civic projects; and boost local tourism.

2015 in the Philippines details events of note that happened in the Philippines in 2015. International events that are connected, or concerned with the Philippines are also included in this significant and important article.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visit by Pope Francis to the Philippines</span>

Pope Francis made a pastoral and state visit to the Philippines from January 15 to 19, 2015. He was the third pontiff to visit the Philippines after Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1981 and 1995, officially the first papal visit in the 21st century and 3rd millennium after the title was originally scheduled for World Meeting of Families twelve years earlier in 2003 but postponed due to John Paul II was unable to attend because of the progression of his Parkinson's disease, and fourth papal visit overall. Besides Manila, Francis visited Tacloban and Palo, Leyte, to encourage the victims of Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) and Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby). The Filipinos nicknamed Francis Lolo Kiko as a term of endearment, which he commended. Around 6–7 million attended Francis' final Papal Mass at Luneta, surpassing the crowd at World Youth Day 1995 in the same venue and making it the largest papal crowd in history. The theme of Francis' 2015 visit was "Mercy and Compassion".

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport bullet-planting scandal, locally known as tanim-bala or laglag-bala, was a scandal in the Philippines that began in September 2015 and lasted until early 2016, in which airport security personnel at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Metro Manila were alleged to have planted bullets in the luggage of passengers in order to extort money from them. Victims of the alleged plot were generally Overseas Filipino Workers, but also included non-Filipinos such as foreign tourists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Davao City bombing</span> Terrorist attack in the Philippines

A bombing at the Roxas Night Market occurred in Davao City, Philippines, on September 2, 2016, causing at least 14 deaths and 70 injuries. On September 13, 2016, one of those injured, a pregnant woman, died, bringing the death toll up to 15.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Air Philippines</span> Low-cost airline of the Philippines

Royal Air Charter Service, Inc., operating as Royal Air Philippines, is a Philippine-registered budget airline. The company was established on August 22, 2002, as a chartered airline. It began operations as a budget airline on December 14, 2018, with an inaugural flight from its hub in Clark, Pampanga to Caticlan in Aklan.

Elly Velez Lao Pamatong, commonly known as Elly Pamatong, was a Filipino lawyer, politician and the self-proclaimed President of the Philippines known for his attempts to participate in Philippine elections. Pamatong was declared a nuisance candidate twice for his attempted candidacy for president in 2004 and 2010 by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC).

References

  1. ↑ Joseph, Elizabeth; Cullinane, Susannah (September 1, 2014). "Alleged bomb plot foiled at Manila airport, state-run media report". United States: CNN. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  2. ↑ Mogato, Manuel; Birsel, Robert (September 1, 2014). "Philippines foils car-bomb plot at airport, shopping mall". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  3. ↑ Larano, Cris; Cuneta, Josephine (September 2, 2014). "Philippines Airport Bomb Plotters Allegedly Planned Attacks on Chinese Targets in Manila". Wall Street Journal. United States. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Dacanay, Barabara Mae (September 4, 2014). "Ringleader in Philippine airport bomb plot arrested". Gulf News. United Arab Emeritus. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  5. ↑ Alamar, Noel (September 4, 2014). "Ely Pamatong arrested". Philippines: ABS-CBN News. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  6. ↑ Galupo, Rey (September 6, 2014). "Pamatong posts bail, admits knowing bomb suspects". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Pamatong vows to reclaim China-occupied territories". The Philippine Star. Philippines. September 8, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  8. ↑ Shankar, Sneha (September 2, 2014). "Philippines Arrests 3 Men Plotting To Bomb Chinese Embassy, Manila's International Airport". International Business Times. United States. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  9. ↑ Robles, Alan (September 3, 2014). "Philippines thwarts attack on Chinese embassy, arresting three plotters". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  10. ↑ Macairan, Evelyn (September 3, 2014). "'General,' cohorts in NAIA bombing attempt charged". The Philippine Star. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  11. ↑ Meruenas, Mark (September 29, 2014). "DOJ OKs criminal raps vs. 3 in foiled NAIA bomb try". GMA News. Philippines. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  12. ↑ "China Issues Travel Warning for The Philippines". Macau Daily Times. Macau. Associated Press. September 15, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.