Palace fears retaliatory attacks after Saddam verdict

Malacañang yesterday ordered security and law enforcement agencies to brace for possible retaliatory attacks from local terror groups after an Iraqi court sentenced former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to death by hanging.

Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor warned that terror groups in different countries, including those in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, are linked in some way so the possibility of "sympathy attacks" is not remote.

"Our main concern are the terrorists in southern Philippines, not necessarily the Filipinos, but the foreign JI (Jemaah Islamiyah) members in the south," Defensor said. "They may cause problems, they may cause some situations for us."

President Arroyo’s spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Sunday Saddam’s death sentence did not come as a surprise, but he expressed concern over its effect on Iraq’s continuing unrest.

"What would be more critical is the effect of the decision on the continued violence and strife in Iraq and its impact on the geopolitical stage," Bunye said.

Saddam was convicted and sentenced Sunday to hang for crimes against humanity in the 1982 killings of 148 people in a single Shiite town.

Defensor noted that Philippine security officers "are aware of the situation and are preparing for this because terrorists and fundamentalists may have sympathy for Saddam."

At least 5,000 troops are scouring Sulu province for two JI bombers –Umar Patek and Dulmatin –and Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani. The two JI members are wanted for the October 2002 bombing in Bali, Indonesia that killed more than 202 people. — Paolo Romero, AP