Marawi blast suspect was former MSU student – school official

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 7) – Kadapi Mimbisa, one of the suspects behind the bombing in the Mindanao State University (MSU) in Marawi City, used to be its student, an official of the school confirmed to CNN Philippines.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday identified Mimbisa, alias Engineer, as one of two persons of interest linked to the bombing that killed four people and injured 46.

The other was Kadapi’s son, Arsani Mimbisa, alias Khatab.

READ: PNP releases names, photos of persons of interest in Marawi City blast

“He [Kadapi] enrolled in MSU in the year 1993 and stopped in the year 1998. He was a BS [Bachelor of Science] Agricultural Engineering student,” Atty. Shidik Abantas, Secretary of the University and its Board of Regents, said through text message on Thursday.

“He went back to the university in the year 2007 but was unable to finish his studies. He did not graduate,” he added.

According to Abantas, Mimbisa re-enrolled in 2007 to take up his thesis, but failed.

The school official said that Mimbisa was a batchmate of some MSU deans. Citing the university officials, Abantas said: “Very unremarkable daw sya. Very normal. Mabait at walang nakaka-away or hindi din aktibista.”

[Translation: He was supposedly very unremarkable, very normal. Kind and didn’t fight with anyone. Not an activist either.]

The father and son duo are allegedly affiliated with the Dawlah Islamiyah Maute group based in Lanao del Sur, the PNP said. Kadapi Mimbisa is supposedly an expert on improvised explosive devices.