A gunman stormed a crowded Manila casino early on Friday and used gasoline to set gambling tables on fire, creating clouds of smoke that swept through the crowds and killed at least 35 people, the police said. The gunman, who had fled with more than $2 million in stolen casino chips, then forced his way into a room in an adjoining hotel and killed himself.
Authorities suspect the man, who has not yet been identified, was trying to rob the casino at Resorts World Manila, a complex of hotels, restaurants, stores and a sprawling multifloor gambling area.
“Either he lost in the casino and wanted to recoup his losses or he went totally nuts,” Metropolitan Manila Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said. While an Islamic State [IS]-linked Filipino said on social media that “lone wolf soldiers” of the IS group were behind the attack, the police noted the man didn’t shoot anyone he encountered. The only gunshot wound was sustained by a guard at the complex.
“He would have shot all the people gambling,” if his goal was terrorism, National Police Chief Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa said. None of the bodies had gunshots, authorities said.
The police saw no connection to nearly two weeks of fighting with Muslim militants aligned with the IS group in the southern city of Marawi.
Dela Rosa said security footage showed the gunman ignoring a guard who tried to question him at the complex’s entrance, then going straight to the casino. He stuffed a backpack with gambling chips, fired his assault rifle at TV screens and set gambling tables on fire by pouring gasoline onto them from a 2-liter bottle he carried, dela Rosa said. It was not clear how he smuggled the gasoline and rifle into the crowded casino.
The gunman, who dela Rosa described as “white, with a mustache”, about 6 feet tall and English speaking, fled the gambling area and barged into a room on the fifth floor of Maxims Hotel, which is part of the Resorts complex. He laid down on the bed, covered himself with a blanket, doused himself with gasoline and then set himself on fire, Dela Rosa said. He carried no identity documents, the police said.
The bag of high-value gambling chips—with an estimated worth of P113 million to P130 million, or more than $2 million—was found in a toilet.
The attack sent hundreds of people fleeing through the complex and into the night. A South Korean died of a possible heart attack suffered during the evacuation, the Foreign Ministry said. More than 70 people suffered mostly minor injuries in the stampede to escape.
Ronald Romualdo, a maintenance worker at Resorts World, said he and his colleagues heard gunshots and saw people smashing the windows on the second and third floors to escape.
“We took out a ladder to save them. We were able to save many of them,” he said. “But one woman I was trying to save fell from the second floor…. I could not carry her.” He said the woman was not moving after she fell, but he didn’t know what happened to her.
About 90 minutes after the attack began, Resorts World Manila said on its Facebook page it was on lockdown following reports of gunfire and it was working to ensure the safety of guests and workers.
Trump got wrong report
As news of the attack spread, President Donald J. Trump offered America’s thoughts and prayers 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 Rose Garden. Trump said he was “closely monitoring the situation” and would continue to provide updates.
The SITE Intelligence Group, a US terrorism monitor, said an IS-linked Filipino operative who provides daily updates on the clashes in Marawi claimed “lone wolf soldiers” of the IS group were responsible for the attack.
An English message by the operative was distributed across several pro-IS Telegram chat groups, SITE said. According to SITE, he wrote: “The lone wolf soldiers of Khilafah attack the heart of Kufar the city of Manila in Resorts World.”
The unrest in Marawi had sparked fears that militants might attack elsewhere to divert the focus of thousands of troops trying to quell the siege. But dela Rosa said, “We cannot attribute this to terrorism without concrete evidence.”
Islamic State
In Marawi 175 people have been killed since fighting broke out on May 23, Military Spokesman Restituto Padilla said in a televised briefing on Friday. The clashes began after state enforcers tried to capture Isnilon Hapilon, a commander of the Abu Sayyaf militant group who had pledged allegiance to the IS.
Financial markets remained resilient to the casino incident. The Philippine Stock Exchange index climbed as much as 0.9 percent before trading 0.6 percent higher at the noon break in Manila. The peso was little changed at 49.725 per dollar from 49.75.
“The market is taking it as it has been described in the news, that it is more of a criminal event, rather than a terrorist event which just happened to coincide with what’s happening in Mindanao,” said Alan Cayetano, head of foreign-currency trading at Bank of the Philippine Islands. “For the most part, the reaction seems to be that it’s not a cause for concern for the moment.”
Still, shares of casino operators fell. Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., the venture of Genting Hong Kong Ltd. and Alliance Global Group Inc. that owns the besieged resort, dropped as much as 9.4 percent. Alliance Global lost 3.5 percent at the midday break. Other casino companies including Bloomberry Resorts Corp. also declined.
More than 50 people were injured and are receiving treatment in nearby hospitals, Resorts World Manila said in a statement on its Twitter account.
“This is a sad day for Resorts World Manila,” it said.
Resorts World Manila officials have assured that assistance will be extended to families of those who died of suffocation and those injured when an unidentified man torched gaming tables and himself in the casino hotel early Friday.
“It is with deep sadness that in addition to the 54 injured, there were 35 reported casualties from this tragic incident. Initial unconfirmed reports indicate that the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation,” the management of Resorts World said in a statement.
“We cannot release the information on the identities of the victims at this time as we are awaiting Soco’s final confirmation. We shall be informing their next of kin as soon as the information is officially confirmed and released to us by Soco.”
The company also committed to extend “full support and assistance to the injured and families of the deceased”.
It said a help desk has been set up at the Career Hub 1 at the ground floor of the NECC building, which can be reached through 0917-872-8300 and 0917-872-8756.
“This unexpected violent attack on innocent lives will not break the spirit on which Resorts World Manila was built. We ask for your prayers during these dark hours,” the company said.
‘Not the time to panic’
The Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA), through its president, Marlene Jante, also issued a statement on the incident:
“In light of the incident today in Resorts World Manila and the ongoing conflict in Marawi City, we, in the PTAA, are urging our countrymen to unite behind our government as it addresses these situations.
“What happened today [Friday] in Resorts World, a tourism destination here in Metro Manila and just across Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3, is very much unfortunate and will definitely impact our tourism industry.
“The PTAA condoles with the families of those who have lost their lives during this morning’s tragedy along with Resorts World, which has been a strong partner of the association over the years.
“But this is not the time to panic. The Philippines has seen worst situation before and we have risen above them over and over again. Our tourism industry’s foundation is now strong enough for it to continue to grow and remain as one of our country’s sunshine industries despite these incidents.
“What we urge, however, is for everyone to discern the facts from false news and report suspicious activities within their areas. We do not want incidents like the one in Marawi City or what transpired in Resorts World this morning to disrupt our way of life. Filipinos should never live in fear at any given time.
“We also urge the government to keep our countrymen informed at all times. They have to be transparent enough to let us know what is really happening around us.
“Let us not put to waste the gains we have achieved over the past several years because of a few isolated incidents.”
AP, Bloomberg, PNA
Image credits: AP