Gunshots Erupt at Philippine Senate Amid Imminent Arrest of Senator Ronald dela Rosa
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Gunshots rang out at the Philippine Senate in Manila as security forces moved to arrest Senator Ronald dela Rosa, wanted by the ICC for crimes against humanity related to the former Duterte administration's drug war, prompting people to flee; no casualties were immediately reported.
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Gunshots broke out at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday and people ran for cover after a top politician wanted by the International Criminal Court said his arrest was imminent and security forces entered the building. There were no immediate reports of casualties, however, Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza told reporters following the chaos at the legislature in the capital Manila. Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former police chief who was the main enforcer of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on drugs”, had earlier urged people to mobilise to prevent his arrest and handover to the ICC. The Hague-based court on Monday unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa on charges of crimes against humanity, the same that 81-year-old Duterte is accused of as he awaits trial in the ICC following his transfer last year. Dela Rosa, 64, has denied involvement in illegal killings.
