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WORLD NEWS Friday 2 June 2017
Gunman storms Philippine casino, police suspect robbery

the violence at the com- police officer Jeffrey Fran- dela Rosa said.
plex near Manila’s airport, cisco. But he said the assailant
police stressed that they Police said there was no in- did not fire at people he
uncovered no ties to terror dication any hostages had encountered. The nation-
and suggested the motive been taken by the lone al police chief described
could have been robbery. gunman, who was still at him as “white, with a mus-
“He would have shot all the large. tache” and about 6 feet
people gambling there” if The violence unfolded as tall.
it had been terrorism, said Muslim militants aligned It was not clear how the
the national police chief, with the Islamic State group gunman smuggled gaso-
Gen. Ronald dela Rosa. fended off government line and an assault rifle
“But he did not hurt any- forces for a 10th day in the into the crowded casino or
one.” southern city of Marawi. what prompted dela Rosa
Added dela Rosa: “Do not That unrest had sparked to cast doubt on terrorism
panic. This is not a cause for fears that the militants so quickly.
alarm. We are just alert. ... might attack elsewhere to Dela Rosa said CCTV foot-
We cannot attribute this to divert the focus of thou- age showed the gunman
terrorism without concrete sands of troops trying to ignoring a security guard
Smoke rises from the Resorts World Manila complex early Friday, evidence.” quell the siege. who tried to question him
June 2, 2017 in suburban Pasay city southeast of Manila, Philip- The security guard shot was In Friday’s attack, the gun- at the entrance to the
pines. Friday, June 2, 2017. A masked gunman stormed a hotel-
casino complex in the Philippine capital early Friday, shooting the waist by the gunman man stole gambling chips, complex.
up a TV screen, torching gambling tables and stuffing a back- and about 75 others suf- shot TV screens and set He did not hurt the guard
pack with casino chips before fleeing, authorities said. fered mostly minor injuries gambling tables ablaze by but went straight to the
(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) such as bruising as they pouring gasoline on them gambling area, dela Rosa
By JIM GOMEZ and more than 70 others stampeded to get out, said at Resorts World Manila, said.q
Associated Press suffered mostly minor inju-
MANILA, Philippines (AP) ries in a stampede to get
— A masked gunman away from the gunman,
stormed a hotel-casino who was wielding an as-
complex in the Philippine sault rifle.
capital early Friday, shoot- The attack sent hundreds
ing up a TV screen, torch- fleeing into the night and
ing gambling tables and produced an immediate
stuffing a backpack with claim of terrorism from an
casino chips before flee- Islamic State-affiliated op-
ing, authorities said. erative, according to U.S.
A guard was shot during terror monitors.
the melee but survived, But within three hours of

Afghans in mourning a day after

massive truck bombing killed 90

By RAHIM FAIEZ out Kabul on Thursday.
AMIR SHAH In Wednesday’s attack,
Associated Press the suicide truck bomber
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — drove into Kabul’s heavily
Afghans mourned the loss guarded diplomatic quar-
of family members, friends ter during the morning rush,
and colleagues on Thurs- leaving behind chaos and
day, a day after a massive destruction.
truck bomb exploded in Most of the casualties
the capital, killing at least were civilians, including
90 people and wounding women and children, but
more than 450 in one of the dead also included Af-
the worst extremist attacks ghan security guards work-
since the drawdown of for- ing around the many em-
eign forces from the coun- bassies in the area.q
try in 2014.
The city’s acting mayor
said the explosion was so
strong that it damaged
property as far as 4 kilo-
meters (2.5 miles) from the
blast site.
Scores of people waited in
hospitals to learn the sta-
tus of their family members
and friends wounded in
the attack. Funeral proces-
sions took place through-