Forgive my killer son
THE lone suspect who launched a deadly attack on a casino and shopping complex in the Philippine capital of Manila that left dozens dead was a heavily indebted Filipino who was hooked on gambling.
Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde said the man’s immediate family confirmed his identity as Jessie Carlos — a married father of three and former Finance Department employee who owed more than $80,000.
The revelations confirm that “this is not an act of terrorism”, Albayalde told a news conference. “This incident is confined to the act of one man alone as we have always said.”
Authorities have repeatedly dismissed a claim of responsibility by the Islamic State group for Friday’s attack on Resorts World Manila.
The suspect’s distraught mother, Teodora, wept during the news briefing and asked for forgiveness.
“We’re asking for your apology. We can’t accept ourselves that my son became like this, he was a very kind son,” she said. “He chose to end his life and kill people.
“The message of what happened to my son is people should not get hooked on gambling so their families won’t get destroyed.”
The Philippines has faced Muslim insurgencies for decades, though much of the violence has occurred in the troubled south, where battles with Islamic militants are taking place in the southern city of Marawi.
Albayalde said the man had sold property to support his gambling habit of at least several years, including a vehicle. His family had grown so concerned they had asked casinos to ban him.
The news came after authorities released security footage showing Carlos casually exiting a taxi just after midnight and walking calmly into a vast entertainment and gambling complex like any other visitor.
Shortly afterwards, he dons a black ski mask, slips on an ammunition vest and pulls an M4 carbine assault rifle out of his backpack.
What follows borders on the surreal: a slow-motion arson attack and robbery so methodical and unhurried, the gunman appears to walk much of the way — even as he exchanges fire with a security guard and flees, slightly wounded, up a stairwell.
At least 37 patrons and employees died, mostly from smoke inhalation as they tried to hide on the second floor, including one of the casino’s VIP rooms, Albayalde said. The gunman fled to an adjoining hotel, where police say he killed himself.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said the attacker was simply “crazy”. He questioned what the gunman was going to do with the $2 million horde of poker chips he stole. He also discounted any links to the Islamic State group, saying this “is not the work of ISIS”. “The work of the ISIS is more cruel and brutal.”
Although the attacker was well armed — Albayalde said he was carrying 90 bullets — there are no confirmed reports he shot any civilians.
Instead, he fired into the ceilings, scattering panicked crowds, some of whom jumped out windows to escape what they believed to be a terror attack. AP