On Firday, the Philippines Military claimed that it was taking seriously the much hyped call by Islamic State (IS) militants for an attack on the Miss Universe contest to be held in the country next year. Fox news reported that Islamic State jihadis in the Philippines are plotting to attack the Miss Universe contest that will be held in the Philippines next year.
On Tuesday, country’s tourism officials confirmed that the threats of bombing the Miss Universe pageant by a jihadist group are ‘serious’. A video had surfaced on a pro-ISIS social media channel showing the ways to make an explosive belt for the Miss Universe pageant.
Now, the military said that a recent bomb-making video posted on social media by Islamic State militants arried a message in Arabic script reading "Create bomb for Miss Universe." "We are taking the threat seriously," armed forces spokesman Colonel Edgard Arevalo told reporters. He also added that the authorities had yet to establish the authenticity of the video or determine its source.
The country although claims that there are no IS militants in the country as the group accepted. "We reiterate that there is no ISIS in the Philippines," Arevalo said, referring to IS. "What we have are groups claiming affiliations with ISIS in their bid to draw funds. It is not farfetched for ISIS to claim to have cells in the Philippines to show global membership."
On Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the army to destroy the group, saying if not, the country risked being "contaminated" by Islamic State.