The gunman in a deadly casino rampage in the Philippines was seen on security camera footage firing his gun in the air, setting fires and shooting at security forces as he moved through the building during an attack that left at least 38 people dead.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the rampage early on Friday, but authorities said it looked like a botched robbery and that there was no obvious link to terrorism. The victims appeared to have died of smoke inhalation, police said.
At a news conference yesterday, authorities showed the security footage to the media and said the gunman’s identity was still unknown. The taxi driver who dropped the man off at the casino said the man spoke Tagalog and was alone, Manila Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said.
“If he was a suicidal terrorist, then he would have gone on a killing spree,” Albayalde said. “And yet he killed no one, even those people running in front of him. He was even saying: ‘Get out, get out.’”
National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa also said the attack did not appear to be terrorism, but he cautioned that authorities still know very little about the attacker.
“What if we establish the identity and there are leads that will lead toward terrorism? So our findings, our conclusion, will possibly change,” he said.
According to police, the man stormed into the Resorts World Manila complex early on Friday and used gasoline to torch gambling tables.
The fire caused clouds of smoke that killed 37 people from smoke inhalation, Albayalde said.
The gunman then fled to an adjoining hotel and killed himself.
Police described the suspect as an English-speaking, fair-complexioned man in his 40s, who was at least 1.8m tall.
He was armed with an assault rifle, but did not shoot anyone during the attack, police said.
Luchie Arguelle, 61, was playing the slots at about 12:10am on Friday when she saw the man enter the room.
“[He was] all dressed in black, burly, everything was covered, you can’t even see his eyes,” said Arguelle, who was about 9m from the gunman.
She said he was holding two small bottles of liquid and dousing the baccarat table.
“I said: ‘He’s going to burn that table, he’s going to douse it,’” before she grabbed her husband’s hand and ran, she said.
Many in Manila feared after the attack began that it was linked to ongoing battles with militants aligned with the Islamic State group in the southern city of Marawi. The fighting has placed much of the nation on edge and raised fears that the Islamic State group was gaining a foothold in the nation.
The Philippines has faced Muslim insurgencies for decades, though much of the violence has occurred in the troubled south.
There has been concern the militants might attack elsewhere to divert the focus of thousands of troops trying to quell the siege in Marawi.
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