Gunman attacks hotel-casino complex in Manila; dozens dead from smoke
MANILA, Philippines — A gunman suspected to be upset about gambling losses set himself on fire Friday after attacking a hotel and casino complex in the Philippine capital, causing at least 36 people to suffocate from smoke and wounding 54 others, police said.
The suspect, armed with an M4 rifle, had stormed the Resorts World Manila just after midnight, setting gaming tables on fire using gasoline, shooting at LED screens and the door of a room storing chips.
Metropolitan Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde said none of the dead bodies had gunshot wounds. Authorities earlier said they think robbery was the motive. “The suspect is dead, he burned himself inside Room 510 of the hotel,” police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa told reporters more than seven hours since the raid started.
The wounded included one security guard who shot himself in panic, Mr. Dela Rosa added.
The attack at the Resorts World Manila sent people panicking in the streets during the night. The carnage came against the backdrop of a nation on edge because of a radical-Islamist insurgency in the south.
“We can say that this is not an act of terror,” Mr. Dela Rosa said. “There is no element of violence and intimidation that leads to terrorism. If he had planned to kill himself, if he’s a terrorist, instead of burning himself, why not strap a bomb [on himself]?”
The suspect stole $2.26 million worth of chips, which he placed in a backpack that he later left in a bathroom in the hotel, Mr. Dela Rosa said.
The attack caused panic in the capital after the SITE Intelligence Group quoted an Islamic State operative as saying that “lone-wolf soldiers of [the Caliphate]” were responsible for the attack at the complex just across from Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and near an air force base.
But Chief Albayalde said the attack was “the doing of a crazy person.”
“Maybe he got addicted to gambling, lost all his money and went crazy,” he said.
A stampede occurred as panicked and screaming employees, casino players and guests rushed out of the building. Some of them jumped out of fire exits, according to witnesses.
The Manila attack occurred amid a week of fighting in Marawi, about 500 miles south of Manila, which has left more than 180 people dead and displaced nearly 100,000 people. Officials said Thursday that an airstrike by the Philippine military killed 11 of the country’s own soldiers and injured seven others there.