Gunman suffocates 36 people at Philippine casino

A gunman today burst into a casino in the Philippine capital and set gambling tables on fire, creating smoke that suffocated at least 36 people. National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa said the attacker, who has not yet been identified, stormed into the casino in Manila and started to load his backpack with gambling chips. He then fired his rifle at TV screens, poured gasoline on the tables, and set them on fire. Dela Rosa said the gunman fled into the nearby Maxim Hotel, located in the resort's complex, and set himself on fire in a hotel room. Authorities later found gambling chips worth more than $2 million in the toilet. An Islamic State–linked Filipino extremist group claimed responsibility for the lone-wolf attack. But Metropolitan Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde said the man was probably trying to rob the casino. Security officials said the gunman, who didn’t shoot at anyone, would have shot at everyone in the casino if he was staging a terror attack. The country’s southern city of Marawi is still besieged by ISIS-linked militants as authorities continue to battle for full control.

We Sift the news so you don’t have to.