On Wednesday police declared that a Muslim congressman was the target of the bomb attack that occurred on Tuesday outside the Philippine House of Representatives killing him and two others.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said that it appeared that the target was Wahab Akbar, a former rebel and influential figure in the southern part of the country. He died on Tuesday night at the hospital, AFP reports.

Chief Geary Barias of the Manila police said: “We now have evidence of a bomb ... the cellphone and pieces of nails used as shrapnel. They could see their target. Those circumstances would show the target was Congressman Akbar.”

Puno said that the security staff at the House was replaced by police commandos.

Beside the three people who were killed in the explosion other nine were wounded. The blast hit the south lobby of the Congress building on Tuesday night, a few minutes after the most of the congressmen left the building. 

Akbar was a former member of the Abu Sayyaf and later became the governor of the southern Basilan province and offered his support to the government in its operations against Abu Sayyaf.

The southern island of Basilan was used as a base by Abu Sayyaf to launch bombing attacks.

He mentioned his links with Abubakar Janjalani, who founded Abu Sayyaf in order to fight for an independent state in the country.

After Janjalani’s death in 1998 Akbar sought a political carrier.

He was a governor in Basilan in 1992 when U.S. troops arrived here in order to prepare Filipino soldiers to battle Abu Sayyaf.

The leaders of Abu Sayyaf were killed in a confrontation with Philippine marines in Jojo Island last year. Still, many of the fighters regrouped in Basilan and joined other guerillas.

National police chief, Avelino Razon, said that a destroyed motorcycle was found at the scene and investigations were carried out to see whether it was used to transport the bomb.  

This was the first attack over the Philippine Congress and the lawmakers said that they will return to work as soon as possible

House Speaker Jose de Venecia said: “We want to show that everything is normal. We don’t want to show we are scared of the terrorists or assassins who did this criminal and dastardly act.”

In Isabela, capital of Basilan, hundreds of people were mourning Akbar’s death as his body was carried to its burial place.