Philippine military not raising alert level despite blasts in Asia

MANILA, Philippines—The Armed Forces of the Philippines is not raising its alert status amid bomb attacks in Asia since Monday.

Military spokesman Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos said no terror threats have been reported and that security in the Philippines remained “normal.”

But he said that military chief Lieutenant General Jessie Dellosa, “has given the different Unified Commanders the discretion to raise their alert level depending on their assessment of the security situation in their respective areas of responsibility.”

A series of explosions rocked Bangkok on Tuesday, seriously wounding a suspected Iranian bomber as he hurled an explosive device at Thai police in one of the blasts.

The explosions came a day after bombers targeted Israeli embassy staff in the capitals of India and Georgia, with a female diplomat seriously wounded in New Delhi, in attacks Israel said were plotted by Iran.

Thai bomb squad experts were called out to the Sukhumvit Road area in the east of the city after an apparently unintended blast at a house, following which three men were seen fleeing, authorities said.

One of the men hurled an explosive device at a taxi, which refused to stop, and then tried to throw another at police, triggering a blast at the side of a busy road which tore off his legs, they said.

Authorities detained a second Iranian man trying to board a flight out of the country while the third suspect was believed to have fled to Malaysia.

Bangkok has been on the watch for a terror attack since police last month charged a Lebanese man suspected of planning a strike following a US warning that tourist areas might be targeted.