Philippines says ISIL threat to Miss Universe is ‘serious’

But beauty contest will go ahead.

MANILA // Philippine tourism officials said on Tuesday that a threat by an ISIL-related group to bomb the Miss Universe beauty contest was “serious”, but insisted the country would be ready to hold the pageant next year.

A pro-ISIL social media channel tracked by the Site Intelligence Goup showed a video on how to “create a bomb for Miss Universe”, referring to the beauty pageant to be held in Manila in January 2017.

The video, posted on Monday, appeared to show how to make an explosive belt for suicide operations.

“We consider this as serious,” said the tourism department, which last month announced it had won the contest to host the 2017 pageant.

National police spokesman Senior Superintendent Dionardo Carlos said the threat would be referred to an intelligence group assigned to the pageant.

“That’s going to be looked at,” he said, without giving details.

Muslim militants operating in the south of the country have in recent years pledged allegiance to ISIL, though security officials and analysts say they are more focused on raising ransom from kidnappings than propagating an ideology.

* Agence France-Presse