Gloria Arroyo

The announcement by Philippine President Gloria Arroyo that the group planted a bomb in a television set placed on the ferry officially made the sinking the region's deadliest terror attack since the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings.

Arroyo, who earlier indicated that the cause of the sinking was unclear, said charges have been filed against six suspects in the attack, including one who allegedly beheaded hostage Guillermo Sobero of Corona, California, in 2001. Arroyo named fugitive Abu Sayyaf leaders Khaddafy Janjalani and Abu Sulaiman as among the six suspects and said two of the suspects were under arrest.

The ferry, which was carrying about 900 passengers, went down an hour out of Manila on its way to the central and southern Philippines. Authorities believe at least 118 died but many bodies were not recovered and the death toll may have been higher.

The Abu Sayyaf is one of three extremist Muslim groups with ties to al-Qaeda operating in the southern Philippines, an impoverished and rebellious region where most of the country's Muslims live.

The Japan Times Weekly: Oct. 16, 2004
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