Mystery over motive of casino gunman who killed 36 people
Police in Manila said last night that they still had no name for the gunman who used petrol to start a casino fire that killed at least 36 people or a motive for his attack.
After the attack at an entertainment complex in the Philippine capital, the man fled to an adjoining hotel and killed 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 £1.5 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, so-called IS claimed responsibility in a statement. Military spokesman Brigadier General 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,” he said.
Many in Manila feared after the attack began early yesterday that it was linked to ongoing battles with Muslim militants aligned with IS in the southern city of Marawi. The fighting has placed much of the country on edge and raised fears that IS was gaining a foothold.
The Philippines has faced Muslim insurgencies for decades, though much of the violence has occurred in the troubled south, where Marawi is located.
The attack occurred at a sprawling mall-like complex near the Manila airport that includes hotels, restaurants, stores and a multi-floor gambling area. Police said that during the attack the man stole more than $2 million worth of casino chips, though he apparently abandoned them in a toilet soon after.
“Either he lost in the casino and wanted to recoup his losses or he went totally nuts,” Metropolitan Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde said.
As the gunman left, he exchanged shots with a building guard who managed to shoot him in the leg after being wounded, police and casino officials said.
“Severe blood loss from the gunshot wound significantly slowed the assailant down and resulted in his holing up in a room where he took his own life,” said Stephen Reilly, Resort World’s chief operating officer.
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