MANILA, Philippines—The Eastern Police District has admitted that it conducted an operation near the Ferdaus Mosque in Pasig City on Wednesday afternoon, which community leaders said led to the defilement of their place of worship.

Senior. Insp. Wilson Quilala, EPD Special Operations Group chief, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview that his men were looking for “Alvin,” a drug suspect who escaped from his police escort, in the area.

However, Quilala stopped short of saying that his men entered the mosque on Baltazar Street in Barangay Sto. Tomas and violated Islamic religious laws.

“I don’t know if they entered the mosque. I can order an investigation,” he said.

Should it be proven that his men violated Islamic laws and offended the worshippers, Quilala said he would meet with the mosque leaders and apologize.

“I am 100% ready. I will apologize,” he told the Inquirer. “There was no intention to violate the mosque. They were just searching for the suspect,” he stressed.

Quilala added that he would look into allegations that the officers committed procedural lapses.

His admission came a day after the EPD director, Chief Supt. Nilo de la Cruz, said it was unlikely that there was a police operation in the area at the time of the incident.

According to Imam Abdul Cader Lawi, four armed men in civilian clothes who identified themselves as policemen charged inside the prayer area with their shoes on—considered a violation of Islamic laws—at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

Two of the men went to an office on the second floor, kicked open the door and searched the drawers. A fifth man was seen outside the mosque monitoring the operation, Lawi said.

Based on the Imam’s statement, there were five policemen involved in the incident. Quilala, however, said only two EPD officers had chased the suspect.