(UPDATE)Fruit vendor foils Tacurong City bombing

TACURONG CITY -– An alertfruit vendor prevented what could have been another bloody Monday morning here, police said. Senior Supt. Junny Buenacosa, Tacurong City police director, said the improvised bomb was made of one kilo cut nails as shrapnel, blasting caps, old Nokia mobile phoneand explosive powder placed in a cartoon and left near the city’s welcome rotunda and in front of a department store. Buenacosa said fruit vendor Josephine Casana, 33, was surprise to see something in a paper box in her fruit stall. She checked it and found wiring and an oldmobile phone that made her suspect it was a bomb.She immediately called the attention of street sweeper identified asMerly Agcaoile, 50 to seek help about her weird discovery. It was placed in an empty box I left as I prepared to display my goods, she said.Both later alerted the police.Responding Tacurong City PNP bomb disposal team with bomb sniffingdogs checked on the box where the K-9 dog sat on it, an indication it contained bomb materials. Police then cordoned off the area, rerouted the traffic and detonated the IED. Buenacosa told reporters investigating was still going on. No one has claimed responsibility but the city had been subjected to previous bombing attacks by suspected Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and extortion groups preying on bus companies and business establishments.