Police say suspect set himself alight and motive for attack on Resorts World Manila is more likely robbery than terrorism

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Dozens of people are feared dead in a fire that started after a gunman burst into a Manila casino and set gaming tables alight.



At least 36 people had died, mostly due to suffocation following the blaze, a spokesman for the Philippines president said. Investigations so far suggested a criminal rather than terrorist intent, he added.

The unidentified lone gunman stormed the casino at Resorts World Manila, a complex of hotels, restaurants, stores and a sprawling multi-floor gambling area, in the early hours of Friday morning. He fled with stolen casino chips worth at least 113m Philippine pesos (£1.7m, $2.3m), then forced his way into a room in an adjoining hotel and killed himself by dousing himself in gasoline and setting himself alight, police said.



The national police chief, Ronald dela Rosa, said security footage showed the gunman ignoring a guard who tried to question him at the complex’s entrance, then going straight to the casino. He stuffed a backpack with gambling chips, fired an assault rifle at TV screens and set gambling tables on fire by pouring gasoline on to them from a two-litre bottle, Dela Rosa said.

It was not clear how he smuggled the gasoline and rifle into the crowded casino. The bag of high-value gambling chips was found in a toilet.



Dela Rosa described the gunman as white, about 6ft tall and English-speaking.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest CCTV images of the suspect. Photograph: Philippines National Police

The Philippines has been on heightened alert amid a crisis in the south of the country, where troops have been battling Islamist rebels since 23 May.

An Islamic State-linked Filipino operative claimed Isis “soldiers” were responsible for Friday’s attack, but police maintained that the gunman was acting alone and that no connection had been established with the fighting in the south.

Armed police were deployed at about 2am on Friday (1800 GMT Thursday) after gunfire and loud bangs were heard inside the casino building.

Those who died were in the casino’s main gaming area, said Oscar Albayalde, chief of the capital’s police office. “What caused their deaths is the thick smoke,” he told reporters. “The room was carpeted and the tables [were] highly combustible.”

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said four Taiwan nationals were among those killed and a South Korean foreign ministry official said one South Korean had died, apparently after a heart attack. At least 54 people were hurt, some seriously, as they rushed to escape, officials said.

“I heard many, many gunshots,” Julio Silva, a witness who managed to dash out of the complex, told DZMM radio.



A spokesman for the nearby Ninoy Aquino airport told the Guardian: “Terminal 3 has been locked down because it is near the Resort World. We still don’t know how this will affect flights.” Terminal 3 manages international and domestic flights.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest A Filipino man is frisked by a police officer outside the Resort World Manila. Photograph: Ezra Acayan/EPA

The Philippines’ armed forces have been fighting a militant faction sympathetic to Islamic State in the country’s south. A fierce 10-day battle has been raging in the city of Marawi, about 500 miles (800km) south of Manila, and, last week, the Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law across the southern region of Mindanao, arguing that the measure was necessary to crush a rising threat posed by Isis-linked rebels.

In Marawi, the army has deployed helicopter gunships and artillery fire to try to dislodge the gunmen, but they have held a large section of the city.

Over the past week, security forces have been deployed to other cities in Mindanao province, concerned that the militants may attempt to launch attacks outside Marawi.

The clashes started after security forces tried to capture Isnilon Hapilon, an Islamist militant leader who is the subject of a $5m (£3.88m) reward offered by the FBI and endorsed by Isis.

The Philippine ‘Suicide Squad’ saving civilians trapped on Isis frontline Read more

Hapilon is believed to be a senior leader in a coalition of insurgent groups in the Philippines, although their operational links with Islamic State in the Middle East remain unclear. The clashes there have left at least 171 people dead and Duterte said last week he may need to declare martial law across the rest of the country if the threat spreads.

He has said he fears that the “terrible ideology” of Isis will spread on Mindanao, an island of 22 million people, and has warned that it could become a haven for supporters fleeing Iraq and Syria.

The US president, Donald Trump, passed on the thoughts and prayers of the American people to those affected by the incident. Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Trump said: “It is really very sad as to what’s going on throughout the world with terror.” He added that he was “closely monitoring the situation” and would continue to provide updates.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Filipino police officers take their position outside the Resort World Manila. Photograph: Ezra Acayan/EPA

Associated Press contributed to this report