Philippine police seek casino attacker’s identity

Philippine police say the attacker was a tall, Englishspeaking white man with a moustache. They say he carried an assault rifle, and that he used gasoline to start a casino fire that caused clouds of smoke that left at least 36 people dead Friday morning in a sprawling entertainment complex in Manila.

But by Friday evening, police said they still didn’t know the man’s name, or why he launched his attack at the Resorts World Manila complex, only to flee to an adjoining hotel and kill himself.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, but Philippine police said they believed it had been a robbery gone wrong.

Police told reporters the man stole more than $2 million in gambling chips and avoided shooting people he encountered in the casino, pointing his gun upward when he fired some shots.

“He would have shot all the people gambling” if his goal was terrorism, national police chief Ronald dela Rosa said.

But hours later, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility in a statement, saying “Brother Abu al-Kheir al-Arkhabili was able to immerse among a gathering of Christian fighters in the Resorts World Manila in Manila where he carried out killing and hurting until he died as a martyr. About 100 Christians were killed or wounded.”

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla rejected the claim, saying the attack “does not have the slightest signature of terrorism whatsoever.”

“As in previous incidents, this group is prone to claim and admit every criminal incident and label it as its own, clearly indicative of its pure penchant for propaganda,” Padilla said.