Masked Casino Gunman Kills 37 & Himself

At least 37 people have been killed and dozens more injured after a gunman opened fire in the Resorts World Casino, in Pasay City, Philippines, with local police calling it a ‘robbery gone wrong’ amid terrorism concerns and claims.

Many of the dead and injured, the majority believed to be women, are thought to have suffered from smoke inhalation in their attempt to flee the casino after the man ‘poured fuel over tables and set them alight’ in the assault which occurred just after midnight.

"Most of the victims were women who were found dead inside the bathroom," said Southern Police District Director Superintendent Tomas Apolinario.

The ‘white, English-speaking’ attacker is believed to have burned himself to death following the botched attack, after setting fire to tables and attempting to steal ‘£1.7m worth of betting chips’ according to newspaper reports.

The man ransacked a room and stole gaming chips, according to Philippines National Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa, adding that the suspect had stuffed chips totalling 113 million pesos ($2.3 million) in a backpack which was later recovered by the police.

AFP reported one Resorts World employee, Maricel Navaro, as telling DZMM radio:  

“I was about to return to the second floor from my break when I saw people running. Some hotel guests said someone yelled ‘ISIS’. When we smelled smoke, we decided to go for the exit in the carpark. That’s where we got out. Before we exited, we heard two gunshots and there was thick smoke on the ground floor.”

Some early reports had mentioned two or more attackers, photos of more than one armed man being circulated in the wider media and even poker forums. Stephen Reilly, the COO of Resorts World Manila, insisted however that only one gunman was involved, saying:

“We reiterate that there was only one gunman involved in this senseless, senseless attack. On behalf of the victims, families, and loved ones, we request everyone from spreading hurtful speculation and false information.”

Among those families was 42-year old Gil Yongco, who told AFP:

“Our daughter called us past midnight saying she was in the VIP section of the casino and there was smoke and they were suffocating. We are very worried about her. We haven’t heard from her.”

The attacker is believed to have ‘killed himself by wrapping his body in a thick blanket on a bed in a hotel room and dousing himself in gasoline’ – after eluding police for several hours in the smoke-filled casino and hotel complex.

Of the lone gunman suspect, who appeared in many CCTV and stills during the attack, Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde told reporters that police think it's likely the suspect was a foreigner.

"He looks Caucasian, he talks English, he's big and he's white, so he's probably a foreigner," he said.

When police finally swept through the burnt casino, they discovered 37 bodies amid the chaos and reportedly took 54 people to hospital.

Pasay City, bordered to the north by the City of Manila itself, is a tourist hotspot and initial reports were that a terrorist attack had taken place, several newspapers reporting on the ‘terrorism’ angle, as well as US president Donald Trump among those coming under attack for tweeting that terrorists were responsible.

Although ISIS have allegedly claimed the attack as their work, police have dismissed these claims –robbery instead being the main motive. “He fired into the air, not at people, but it caused fear”, Southern Police District Superintendent Tomas Apolinario told the BBC, adding:

"We have some injured people and we have some dead as well, but none of them have gunshot wounds."

Manila and its gambling houses and casinos has long been a popular destination for poker players, the nearby City of Dreams Casino currently hosting the Manila Megastack PokerStars Live festival, and the APPT a regular big event in the city.