36 die as gambler sets fire to casino

A GUNMAN who launched an attack on a hotel casino that left at least 36 people dead is suspected to be a gambler who had lost a fortune, police said yesterday.

The attacker, a 6ft white foreigner who spoke English, walked into the Resorts World complex in the Philippines yesterday carrying a high-powered rifle and bottles of petrol.

As he fired, he went to a storeroom where he grabbed £1.7million of casino chips. He also set fire to roulette tables. Then he ran into a room at the hotel, near Manila airport, where he burned himself to death.

Nobody was hit by the gunshots but there was panic as fire broke out. People were trampled, but most of those who died succumbed to smoke inhalation. Fifty others were injured.

Islamic State claimed responsibility, but Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde denied a terror link, saying: ‘Either he lost in the casino and wanted to recoup his losses, or he went totally nuts.’