Police patrol outside a hotel at the Resorts World Manila complex, early Friday, June 2, 2017, in Manila, Philippines. Gunshots and explosions rang out early Friday at a mall, casino and hotel complex near Manila’s international airport in the Philippine capital, sparking a security alarm amid an ongoing Muslim militant siege in the country’s south. AP
Terrorism was not the motive behind the attack carried out by a lone gunman in the Resorts World Manila on Friday morning, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said.
“For now, we can say that this is not an act of terror,” Dela Rosa told the media.
READ: Cops eye robbery, not ISIS, in Resorts World attack – Bato
“Why not act of terror? The element of violence is not there, the threat and intimidation, that would really lead to terrorism,” he said.
Dela Rosa set the record straight after the Islamic State reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack in Pasay City.
The SITE Intelligence Group which monitors terror organizations said: “An Islamic State (IS) Filipino operative who provides daily updates on the ongoing clashes in Marawi stated that the group is responsible for the attack at Resorts World Manila in Pasay, Philippines.”
US President Donald Trump also labeled the incident as a terror attack.
But Dela Rosa explained that if the lone gunman was indeed a member of the terror group, he would have shot civilians and blew himself up afterwards.
“If he was a terrorist, if he was ISIS he should have gunned down people there,” Dela Rosa added.
“And if he had plans to kill himself, if he is really a terrorist, instead of burning himself, he would just wear and strap himself with a bomb and blow himself up,” he said.
After stealing casino chips and burning a casino table, the suspect set himself on fire inside a room at the Maxim’s Hotel hours after the incident.
READ: Resorts World gunman burned self to death–PNP
More than 20 persons were feared dead after suffocating from smoke inhalation, authorities said. IDL/rga