ROME — Suspected Islamic terrorists bombed a Catholic Mass at Mindanao State University in southern Philippines on Sunday, killing at least four and wounding dozens more.
The explosion took place in Marawi, the country’s largest Muslim city, on the first Sunday of Advent, the Christian season of preparation for the feast of Christmas marking Jesus’ birth.
Regional police Chief Allan Nobleza said that the blast, which came from a grenade or an improvised explosive device (IED), may have been a vendetta after a Philippine military airstrike on Friday killed 11 Islamist militants from the Dawlah Islamiyah-Philippines organization in Mindanao.
Officials from Mindanao State University condemned “the act of violence,” saying the institution stands “in solidarity with our Christian community and all those affected by this tragedy.”
