Police identify lone gunman behind Philippine casino attack
Reuters
June 4, 2017 12:28 MYT
June 4, 2017 12:28 MYT
Evacuated employees and guests of hotels stand along a road and watch as smoke billows from a Resorts World building in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines June 2, 2017. - REUTERS/Erik De Castro
The lone gunman behind Friday's deadly attack on a casino in the Philippine capital has been identified as Jessie Carlos Javier, a 42-year old Filipino, police said.
"We have finally established the identity of the perpetrator," Oscar Albayalde, chief of the capital's police office, told a media briefing on Sunday.
"He is heavily indebted due to being hooked on casino gambling, according to his immediate family," Abayalde said, reiterating the attack was not a terrorist act.
The casino's CCTV showed the gunman firing shots at the ceiling and setting gaming tables ablaze. At least 36 people died.