Bus bombing kills nine in Philippines
A bomb attack on a bus in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao has killed nine people and wounded nine others.
More than 50 passengers were on board at the time of the blast, which was so strong that two victims were decapitated. The bomb was concealed in an overhead luggage rack.
Police blamed the attack on an extortion gang with links to Islamist militants. Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang said the bus company had been targeted for extortion in the past.
He said authorities suspected the Al-Khobar extortion gang for the attack. Al-Khobar is the most notorious of the region's extortion gangs, and authorities say it is made up of criminals and former Muslim rebels who have been blamed for attacking business establishments refusing to pay their ransom demands. The group is on a US list of terrorist organisations.
