A pair of Filipino Muslims, members of the Ansar Al-khilafa Philippines militia, were arrested Wednesday after they planted a bomb in a garbage can near the American embassy in Manila. The bomb was constructed from an 81mm mortar round and a timer. The two men initially tried to detonate the device in an adjacent park but were unable to do so, so they brought the bomb to the area near the embassy, where they were captured.
The suspects admitted under questioning that they were members of ISIS and said that they planted the bomb in an attempt to impress the terrorist organization and draw the attention of the military and the public away from the fight against militants in the southern part of the country.