ISIS’s Manila boast
But cops deny killer tie
ISIS is insisting it is responsible for the attack at a Philippine hotel-casino that left 37 people dead — even though Manila police have denied that the massacre was terror related.
“Islamic State fighters carried out the Manila attack in the Philippines,” ISIS claimed in a statement released by its Amaq news agency on Friday.
And the terror group later provided what it claimed was the nom de guerre of the gunman behind Thursday’s arson-and-robbery rampage at Resorts World Manila and boasted that nearly 100 “Christians” were wounded in the attack.
But Philippine officials say the attack was only a robbery attempt, noting the victims were killed by smoke inhalation, not gunfire.
Hours after the rampage, ISIS had claimed “lone-wolf soldiers” were responsible, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terrorist groups.
ISIS fighters have recently ravaged parts of the Philippines, prompting President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law in the southern Mindanao region.
But National Security Ad- viser Hermogenes Esperon denied ISIS had anything to do with the casino attack.
“This is plain and simple propaganda,” he said. “If the lone gunman was really an ISIS terrorist, why did he not shoot and kill people in the casino? He only went for the casino chips.”
The attacker was described by officials as a tall, English-speaking white man with a mustache.
“He’s probably a foreigner,” Manila Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said. “Either he lost in the casino and wanted to recoup his losses or he went totally nuts.”
The masked man stormed the casino, firing at TVs with an M4 assault rifle and setting gaming tables alight before swiping more than $2 million in chips that he later dumped in a toilet.
Shot by cops, he holed up in a hotel room, where police found his burned body after a five-hour manhunt.
“He lay down on the bed, covered himself in a thick blanket and apparently doused himself in gasoline,” National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa said.
Police were working to identify the man. They were also examining his car, which was left in the casino garage.