The Philippine military said today it suspected the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim rebel group linked to Osama bin Laden, planted a bomb in a food court that killed five people.
The primary suspect of course is the Abu Sayyaf, Colonel Frank Gudani, spokesman for the armed forces' Southern Command, told local radio. He added no one had claimed responsibility.
One of the victims of yesterday's blast in the southern city of Zamboanga was an eight-year-old girl. Thirty people were wounded.
Initial reports yesterday said 10 people had been killed.
The Abu Sayyaf says it is fighting for an independent Muslim homeland in the predominantly Catholic country's south, but the group pursues kidnap for ransom as its main activity.
The group is currently holding an American missionary couple and Filipinos hostage on the nearby island of Basilan.
The military has launched an all-out offensive against the rebels who operate mainly on Basilan and nearby island of Jolo, part of the Sulu archipelago.
"Maybe (the bomb was) an offshoot of our continued operations in Basilan and in Sulu, two days ago we...killed one of their commanders in Jolo. Maybe, just maybe, this is their retaliatory acts", Colonel Gudani said.
Washington has linked the Abu Sayyaf to Saudi-born militant bin Laden, the United States' prime suspect in the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington.
Local media have linked the presence of a US team of military advisers in Zamboanga to yesterday's bomb blast.
There have been increased incidents of violence in southern Mindanao in the past week, with a homemade bomb going off near a military compound on Friday in Zamboanga.