Man involved in foiled NAIA bombing arrested in Philippine airport

MANILA - Philippine security forces arrested on Wednesday former presidential candidate Ely Pamatong who had admitted playing a role in foiled bomb plot at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Monday.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) seized Pamatong at NAIA terminal 2 at 5:40 pm Wednesday when he arrived from Cagayan de Oro City in southern Philippines in connection with the 2004 "spike attack", NBI director Virgilio Mendez said.

Pamatong will be brought to the NBI headquarters where he will be booked and have his mugshots taken, and then detained, Mendez said.

Pamatong will be interrogated for involvement in the foiled car bomb attack on certain establishments in Metro Manila, including the Chinese embassy.

Three members of a group called itself the "Usaffe" were arrested on Monday for foiled plot to bomb the country's main airport and SM Mall of Asia as well as strafe the Chinese Embassy and the headquarters of property developer D.M. Consunji Inc., which employed hundreds of Chinese staff.

Justice Secretary De Lima told media in an interview on Tuesday "I can confirm the NBI is looking into the possible involvement of Pamatong. We wanted to first validate it, but he already publicly confirmed that he knew the three members of USAFFE and that he is the commander-in-chief of the group."

Pamatong, who became infamous in 2004 after his supporters scattered steel spikes on EDSA following his derailed presidential bid, claims to hold a "five-star general"rank in USAFFE.