A Phillippine court sentenced to death an Indonesian and two Filipino Muslim terrorists for their roles in the bombing of a Manila bus in on 14 February 2005. Four persons had been killed and scores of others injured in that explosion. The al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group had claimed responsibility for the bombing. Rohmat, the Indonesian convict is a confessed member of the Jemmah Islamiyah.

The Phillippine official spokesman described the verdict “another victory in our relentless fight against terrorism”. He added: “We will bring terrorists to justice, and this is our signal to the nation and the world of our determination to uphold national, regional and global security.”