BULUAN, Maguindanao del Sur - Authorities have identified several "persons of interest" in connection with the broad daylight killing of Councilor Mohammad Usman Alamada on Tuesday afternoon. 'We are looking into a personal grudge as a possible motive, as he may have had a misunderstanding with someone that led to this incident,' Capt. Cemafranco Cemacio, the town's police chief, said in an interview Thursday. Alamada, 59, was at his family-owned roadside restaurant in Barangay Poblacion around 3 p.m. when a black car without license plates arrived. A man armed with an assault rifle stepped out and opened fire on Alamada, who was seated near the entrance. The suspects fled the scene immediately. His family rushed him to the nearby Buluan District Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police recovered around 10 empty M-16 rifle shells at the crime scene. Cemacio revealed that Alamada had previously received death threats from unidentified individuals but did not report the threats to the pol ice. Maguindanao del Sur Police Director Colonel Ruel Sermese has created a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG-Alamada) to expedite the investigation and apprehend the suspects. Alamada also served as the deputy municipal executive officer of the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP), the political arm of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In a statement, UBJP condemned the killing of their active party member, calling it a "despicable act of violence." 'This shocking level of cruelty is a clear violation of the principles we aim to protect in the Bangsamoro,' the UBJP said. Source: Philippines News agency