MANILA, Oct 11: The Philippine post office called in a bomb squad this week after receiving a package addressed to the leader of the country’s notorious Abu Sayyaf Muslim rebel group, which authorities say has links to Osama bin Laden.

Postal inspectors told Reuters on Thursday the package from the U.S. state of West Virginia — addressed to Abu Sayyaf leader Abu Sabaya — arrived at Manila’s postal station early this week.

“It had the indications of being a mail bomb because there was no return address,” one postal inspector said. “And when we saw it was addressed to Sabaya, we called in the bomb squad.”

When opened, the parcel contained a video tape in English about the life of Jesus Christ, several pamphlets about Christianity and a letter signed by a “Concerned Person” which criticised the group’s kidnapping activities as being against the teachings of the Koran.

Sabaya’s Abu Sayyaf group says it is fighting for an independent Muslim homeland in the mainly Catholic country but pursues kidnap-for-ransom as its main activity.

“Our idea is that (the parcel) was sent by a Bible study group in the United States,” said postal official Antonio Reyes, but added that the contents had been sent to the national police headquarters for examination.

Reyes said the postmaster general would decide whether authorities would be able to send the package to Sabaya.

The Abu Sayyaf has been the object of a massive military operation involving thousands of troops on the southern island of Basilan, where the guerrillas have bee holding eighteen hostages —Reuters