MANILA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- The military has arrested three of the 10 suspects who carried out the deadly bombing of Davao night market in the southern Philippines on Sept. 2 that killed 15 people and injured 70 others, Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced on Friday.

Lorenzana said the three suspects were arrested Oct. 4 in Cotabato City, also in southern Philippines. He said three were on board a motorcycle without a license plate when arrested.

"They attempted to evade the mobile checkpoint that our security forces set up along a highway in Cotabato City," he said.

"The three terrorists had direct participation in the Sept. 2 Davao City bombing," Lorenzana told a news conference.

Lorenzana presented the three suspects to the media. He said the military and the police are now doing follow up operations to arrest the remaining suspects.

"The operation recovered solid pieces of evidence showing that they are indeed the terrorists who bombed the Davao City market," he said.

Lorenzana said the police and military personnel manning the check point also seized materials for making improvised explosive devices and guns, including sub-machine guns and .45 cal pistol and cellular phones.

One of the suspects was allegedly the triggerman who made the phone call that detonated the improvised explosive device, he said.

Lorenzana said another suspect reportedly planted the IED placed inside a backpack bag, while the third suspect was the one who took the video of the incident.

He said the three were members of the Maute group, a criminal gang operating in central Mindanao. The gang has been blamed for several bomb attacks and kidnapping for ransom in the region.

The motive of the bombing was to disrupt the military offensive to crush the Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu province that started in July and subsequent operations in central Mindanao that started in August, Lorenzana said.

Davao is the home city of President Rodrigo Duterte.