Manila attack: 'English-speaking' gunman who killed 38 in casino rampage caught on camera during attack

CCTV shows the gunman setting a fire in the casino after storming the complex
AP
Tom Powell3 June 2017

The gunman who killed 38 people in a brutal casino rampage in the Philippines was seen on security camera footage firing his rifle in the air, setting fires and shooting at security forces.

The so-called Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for Friday's attack in Manila, but authorities say it was a botched robbery by a single gunman and there were no links to terrorism.

After storming into the Resorts World Manila complex, he used petrol to torch gambling tables before fleeing to an adjoining hotel where he killed himself. The victims appeared to have died of smoke inhalation as they hid from the gunman, police said.

At a news conference on Saturday, authorities described him as an English-speaking man in his 40s, 6ft tall and armed with an assault rifle.

The gunman rampages through the casino in Manila
AP

The taxi driver who dropped the man off at the casino said the man also spoke fluent Tagalog and appeared normal during the ride, said Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde.

He said terrorism was unlikely because the gunman did not shoot anyone.

The gunman firing a weapon into the air inside the casino
AP

"He could have shot everybody there," Albayalde said. "You see he was even changing magazines, he changed magazines at least three times.

"With all that ammunition, he could have killed hundreds of people inside that establishment. But he did not shoot anybody ... he just burned the casino. Burning the casino could be a diversionary tactic for his escape."

Security officials watch CCTV footage of the gunman
AFP/Getty Images

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 told DZMM radio.

Guests pray at a memorial for victims
AP

Luchie Arguelles, 61, was playing the slots at around 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 Arguelles, who was about 30ft 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 started running.

The attack sent hundreds of people fleeing through the complex and into the night. More than 70 people suffered mostly minor injuries in the stampede to escape.

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