Gunman storms casino before apparent suicide
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — A masked gunman stormed a hotel-casino complex in the Philippine capital early t oday, shoot i ng up a T V screen, torching gambling tables and stuffing a backpack with casino chips before fleeing but was later found dead of an apparent suicide, authorities said.
A guard accidentally shot himself during the melee but survived, and more than 70 others suffered mostly minor injuries in a stampede to get away from the gunman, who was wielding an assault rifle.
The attack sent hundreds fleeing into the night and pro duced a n i mmediate claim of terrorism from an Islamic State-affiliated operative, according to U.S. terror monitors.
But police stressed that they uncovered no ties to terror and suggested the motive could have been robbery.
“He would have shot all the people gambling there” if it had been terrorism, said Gen. Ronald dela Rosa, the national police chief. “But he did not hurt anyone.”
Added dela Rosa: “Do not panic. This is not a cause for alarm. We are just alert. ... We cannot attribute this to terrorism without concrete evidence.”
Police said there was no indication any hostages had been taken by the gunman, who was still at large.
The violence unfolded as Muslim militants aligned with the Islamic State fended off government forces for a 10th day in the southern city of Marawi.
That unrest had sparked fears that the militants might attack elsewhere to divert the focus of thousands of troops trying to quell the siege.
In Friday’s attack, the gunman stole gambling chips, shot T V s c re e ns a nd s e t gambling tables ablaze by pouring gasoline on them at Resorts World Manila, dela Rosa said.
But he said the assailant did not fire at people he encountered. The national police chief described him as “white, with a mustache” and about 6 feet tall.
It was not clear how the gunman smug gled gaso - l i n e a n d a n a s s au l t r i f l e into the crowded casino or what prompted dela Rosa to cast doubt on terrorism so quickly. As news of the attack spread, President Donald Trump offered the thoughts and prayers of the American people to the Philippines.
“It is really very sad as to what’s going on throughout the world with terror,” he said from the White House.
The rush Thursday for tickets to Sunday’s Ariana Grande & Friends: One Love Manchester show prompted Ticketmaster to reopen registration to accommodate fans who were at Grande’s illfated May 22 concert, where 22 people died and several more were injured in a suicide bombing. A fake Twitter account for the event incorrectly tweeted that tickets were gone in 6 minutes, a rep for Ticketmaster said. The ticket seller set aside 14,200 tickets for people who were at the May 22 concert and more than 25,000 people applied for them — 10,000 of which were falsified applications. So the online retailer extended Thursday’s deadline “to ensure that tickets go to the actual fans and not the opportunists or touts.” The pop star’s Grandaritour, Inc. will donate the net proceeds from the concert to the British Red Cross Society.