ZAMBOANGA, Philippines – Police in the southern Philippines announced Sunday (November 11th) they had thwarted a bombing attack by arresting three members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group, AFP reported.

In a statement, police said intelligence operatives intercepted the trio Thursday night on the island of Basilan, a known hotbed for extremists.

Police seized handguns and two motorcycles, one of which was rigged with explosives. They said the three allegedly planned to set off the bomb in an unspecified heavily populated urban area.