claimed by Islamic State but which officials believe was a botched robbery.
The gunman
killed himself in a hotel room after being shot and wounded by security
officers at the Resorts World Manila entertainment complex, police said. A
second "person of interest" who was in the casino at the time was
cooperating with the investigation, police said.
Most of the
dead suffocated in the chaos. Many guests and staff had tried to hide from the
gunfire rather than get out of the building when attack began shortly after
midnight (1600 GMT) and fell victim to the smoke, the fire bureau said.
"Islamic
State fighters carried out the Manila attack in the Philippines," the
militant group's Amaq news agency said.
But that was
quickly rejected by National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, who said all
the evidence pointed to an attempt to steal casino chips. Police said they were
not looking at other motives.
"This
is plain and simple propaganda," Esperon told Reuters.
"If the
lone gunman was really an IS terrorist, why did he not shot and kill people in
the casino? He only went for the casino chips."
The IS
claim, which came nearly 24 hours after the attack, also contradicted a
statement from Ernesto Abella, a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte, who
said there was no evidence linking it to fighting between government troops and
Islamist militants in the country's south.
"All
indications point to a criminal act by an apparently emotionally disturbed
individual," Abella told a news conference. "Although the perpetrator
gave warning shots, there apparently was no indication that he wanted to do
harm or shoot anyone."
Oscar
Albayalde, chief of the capital's police office, said those who died were in
the casino's main gaming area.
"What
caused their deaths is the thick smoke," he told reporters. "The room
was carpeted and of course the tables, highly combustible."
A Resorts
World official said the dead included 22 guests.
DEATH IN
ROOM 510
At dawn, the
body of the suspected gunman was found in a hotel room in the smoldering
complex, which is close to Manila's airport and an air force base, police said.
"He
burned himself inside the hotel room 510," national police chief Ronald
dela Rosa told a news conference. "He lay down on the bed, covered himself
in a thick blanket and apparently doused himself in gasoline."
Resorts
World Chief Operating Officer Stephen Reilly said casino guards had shot and
wounded the gunman - armed with what authorities described as a "baby
armalite" - during the attack.
"Severe
loss of blood from the gunshot wound significantly slowed down the assailant
and resulted to his holing up in the room where he took his own life,"
Reilly said.
Officials
said at least 54 people were hurt, some seriously, as they rushed to escape
what was at first was believed to have been a militant attack.
Survivor
Magdalena Ramos, who was a guest at the hotel, said people began shouting
"ISIS! ISIS!" when the gunfire began. The 57-year-old said she hid in
a kitchen and then fled when the smoke became too thick.
But police
quickly said they did not believe the attacker had any militant connections.
"We
cannot attribute this to terrorism," national police chief dela Rosa told
DZMM radio.
"We are
looking into a robbery angle because he did not hurt any people and went
straight to the casino chips storage room. He parked at the second floor and
barged into the casino, shooting large TV screens and poured gasoline on a
table setting it on fire," he said.
Earlier
reports said the gunman may have been white, but police later said he appeared
to be Filipino, although they were still establishing his nationality.
Kimberly
Molitas, a spokeswoman for the capital's police office, said 113 million pesos
($2.27 million) worth of casino chips stolen during the raid had been
recovered.
GUNSHOTS,
PANIC
Videos
posted on social media showed people fleeing as several loud bangs went off.
"Even
the security personnel panicked," casino guest Jeff Santos told a radio
station. "Definitely us patrons we did not expect that, everyone ran
away."
Jeri Ann
Santiago, who works in the emergency room at the San Juan de Dios hospital,
said patients were suffering from smoke inhalation and some had fractures. None
had gunshot wounds, she said.
The
Philippines has been on heightened alert amid a crisis in the south of the
country, where troops have been battling Islamist rebels since May 23.
Duterte
declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao last week and has
warned it could become a haven for Islamic State supporters fleeing Iraq and
Syria.
Security was
tightened around the presidential palace on Friday, with armored personal carriers
stationed on approach roads and river ferries barred from passing close by.
Taiwan's
foreign ministry said four people from Taiwan were among those killed and South
Korea said one of its citizens had died, apparently after a heart attack.
Shares in
resort owner Travellers International Hotel Group Inc, a joint venture of the
Philippines’ Alliance Global Group Inc and Genting Hong Kong Ltd, fell 7
percent.
REUTERS
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