MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – A man was arrested by police at the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) Cubao station on Saturday evening, February 23, after getting caught keeping a grenade inside his bag.

According to a statement by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), the man identified as 29-year-old Christian Guzman was caught at the inspection area before passengers could proceed to the train platforms.

“The live grenade was wrapped with packaging tape and placed inside a cellphone box,” the DOTr said.

After MRT guards saw the bomb, they called for cops, who then arrested Guzman and kept him at the Quezon City Police District Station 7 in Cubao.

Guzman now faces a complaint for violating Republic Act No. 9516 for illegal possession of explosives.

After the incident, the DOTr urged passengers to reach out to authorities immediately when they see suspicious items, activities, and even individuals in train stations.

“The DOTr MRT3 would like to stress that this matter will be taken seriously. We ask the patience and cooperation of our passengers as we further tighten the security measures being implemented in our stations,” the DOTr said.

“We will not take this sitting down,” the agency added. – Rappler.com