Gunshots fired in stand-off at Philippine Senate over ICC suspect

Chaos mounted in anticipation of an attempt to arrest a top senator wanted by the International Criminal Court Gunshots broke out at the Philippine Senate on Wednesday and people ran for cover after a top politician wanted by the International Criminal Court said his arrest was imminent and security forces entered the building. There were no immediate reports of casualties, however, Senate Secretary Mark Llandro Mendoza told reporters following the chaos at the legislature in the capital Manila. Senator Ronald dela Rosa, a former police chief who was the main enforcer of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody “war on ‌drugs”, had earlier urged people to mobilise to prevent his arrest and handover to the ICC. The Hague-based court on Monday unsealed an arrest warrant for dela Rosa on charges of crimes against humanity, the same that 81-year-old Duterte is accused of as he awaits trial in the ICC following his transfer last year.

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