Grenade found near Quiapo Church during 1st Friday rush

A grenade was found near Manila’s historic Quiapo Church as hordes of devotees were coming out after a traditional First Friday mass, according to a police official. Inspector Nick Mangundayao of the Manila Police District’s Station 3 said the explosive, an MK 2 fragmentation grenade type used in World War II and the Vietnam War, was found in a stall at the corner of Evangelista and Paterno streets. The grenade was defused about 7:50 p.m., according to Mangundayao, and the MPD’s Explosives and Ordnance Division declared the grenade had no capability to explode. Mangundayao said the investigation is still ongoing, although he suspects the grenade was lobbed at the stall to threaten its owner, an Indian national. He refused to elaborate. In a separate interview with GMA News, Quiapo Church rector Monsignor Clemente Ignacio said he was alarmed by the news, as thousands of devotees go to the Quiapo church every first Friday of the month to hear mass. The church is designated as a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church’s Archdiocese of Manila, and is considered the home of the much venerated Black Nazarene image. Msgr. Clemente added he has requested additional police visibility, as he likewise said the incident may be connected to a business dispute in the area involving the Indian national.—JMA/JV, GMA News