Philippine police raid Islamic centre before Catholic event

MANILA AFP Jan8, 2017  -Philippine police raided an Islamic centre in Manila and briefly detained scores of people as part of heightened security before a major Catholic festival, a spokeswoman said Sunday.   

Two men were arrested for illegal drugs during the raid on the Islamic Center in the heart of Manila on Saturday, as authorities warned of possible attacks by Islamic militants when the Feast of the Black Nazarene reaches its peak on Monday.  

  
“This is part of security preparations for the Feast of the Black Nazarene,” Chief Inspector Marissa Bruno, spokeswoman for the Manila police, told AFP.   

She said 82 other people at the centre had been taken to a police station but were released soon afterwards when it was found they had no warrants outstanding.   

Bruno denied that police had targeted the Islamic Center, which includes a mosque, saying that other parts of the city had also been subjected to police operations.