Filipino festival rocked by grenades

MAASIM, Philippines, June 21 (UPI) -- Two grenades were hurled into a festival crowd in the Philippines, killing one person and injuring 32 others, police said.

Muslim rebels were suspected of launching the late Saturday attack in the mainly Christian town of Maasim on the island of Mindanao, Army Lt. Kurt Decapia told ABS-CBN TV Sunday. Residents were celebrating the town's 37th birthday.

Intelligence reports suggest the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, MILF, planned to attack the town as they did last year, killing and wounding several civilians, province Gov. Miguel Rene Dominguez said.

"These acts of terror will only galvanize our resolve to protect our community and strengthen our unity," Dominguez said. "We will not be cowed into fear and submission."

There was no immediate reaction from MILF, which has been fighting for a separate Islamic state since 1978.