Philippine police on Sunday identified the gunman behind an attack on a casino that killed 36 people as a heavily indebted local man addicted to gambling, ruling out any involvement by Islamic militants.

The gunman was named as Jessie Javier Carlos, a 42-year old Filipino, who stormed the casino in Manila on Friday, setting gaming tables alight and killing dozens of people who suffocated in thick smoke. Islamic state claimed the attack, but officials insisted it was a botched robbery.

Carlos, whom police described as a &quot;high-roller&quot;, killed himself in a hotel room after being shot and wounded by security officers at the casino, police said.

&quot;He is heavily indebted due to being hooked on casino gambling, according to his immediate family,&quot; Oscar Albayalde, chief of the capital&#39;s police office, told a media briefing on Sunday. &quot;He is already addicted, so you are no longer in your right mind when you are addicted.&quot;

Albayalde said Carlos, a father of three, had a bank account with an outstanding debt of 4 million pesos ($81,000).

He was a former employee of the Department of Finance, working as a tax specialist, the police and the finance agency said. The Ombudsman dismissed him from service in April 2014 because he failed to truthfully declare his assets and liabilities.

Albayalde was joined by Carlos&#39; parents who both asked for forgiveness from the families of the victims.

The casino&#39;s CCTV showed the gunman firing shots at the ceiling and setting gaming tables ablaze before he forced his way into a storage room where he purportedly stole 113 million pesos ($2.27 million) worth of casino chips.

The chips have been recovered.

&quot;We reiterate our prior statements that this is not an act of terrorism but this incident is confined to the act of one man alone as we have always said,&quot; Albayalde said.

Police were closing the case on the gunman but would continue to investigate possible security lapses at Resorts World.

Resorts World Manila is owned by Travellers International Hotel Group Inc, a joint venture of the Philippines&#39; Alliance Global Group Inc and Genting Hong Kong Ltd

(Reuters)

The gunman has been identified as Jessie Javier Carlos, a 42-year old Filipino, police said

Philippine police on Sunday identified the gunman behind an attack on a casino that killed 36 people as a heavily indebted local man addicted to gambling, ruling out any involvement by Islamic militants. The gunman was named as Jessie Javier Carlos, a 42-year old Filipino, who stormed the casino in Manila on Friday, setting gaming tables alight and killing dozens of people who suffocated in thick smoke. Islamic state claimed the attack, but officials insisted it was a botched robbery. Carlos, whom police described as a "high-roller", killed himself in a hotel room after being shot and wounded by security officers at the casino, police said. "He is heavily indebted due to being hooked on casino gambling, according to his immediate family," Oscar Albayalde, chief of the capital's police office, told a media briefing on Sunday. "He is already addicted, so you are no longer in your right mind when you are addicted." Albayalde said Carlos, a father of three, had a bank account with an outstanding debt of 4 million pesos ($81,000). He was a former employee of the Department of Finance, working as a tax specialist, the police and the finance agency said. The Ombudsman dismissed him from service in April 2014 because he failed to truthfully declare his assets and liabilities. Albayalde was joined by Carlos' parents who both asked for forgiveness from the families of the victims. The casino's CCTV showed the gunman firing shots at the ceiling and setting gaming tables ablaze before he forced his way into a storage room where he purportedly stole 113 million pesos ($2.27 million) worth of casino chips. The chips have been recovered. "We reiterate our prior statements that this is not an act of terrorism but this incident is confined to the act of one man alone as we have always said," Albayalde said. Police were closing the case on the gunman but would continue to investigate possible security lapses at Resorts World. Resorts World Manila is owned by Travellers International Hotel Group Inc, a joint venture of the Philippines' Alliance Global Group Inc and Genting Hong Kong Ltd (Reuters)

Indebted gambler behind Philippines casino attack: Police

At least 36 people died after a gunman burst into a Manila casino, firing shots and setting gaming tables alight, a spokesman for the Philippine president said on Friday, in what officials believe was a botched robbery attempt.

There was no evidence linking the attack at the Resorts World Manila entertainment complex to fighting between government troops and Islamist militants in the country&#39;s south, said Ernesto Abella, a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte.

&quot;All indications point to a criminal act by an apparently emotionally disturbed individual,&quot; Abella told a media conference. &quot;Although the perpetrator gave warning shots, there apparently was no indication that he wanted to do harm or shoot anyone.&quot;

Most of the dead suffocated in the chaos as guests and staff tried to flee choking smoke at the complex after the drama that began shortly after midnight (1600 GMT).

Oscar Albayalde, chief of the capital&#39;s police office, said those that died were in the casino&#39;s main gaming area.

&quot;What caused their deaths is the thick smoke,&quot; he told reporters. &quot;The room was carpeted and of course the tables, highly combustible.&quot;

Resorts World Manila official said the dead included 13 employees and 22 guests.

Death in room 510

Around dawn, the body of the suspected gunman was found in a hotel room in the still-smoking complex, which is close to Ninoy Aquino International Airport and an air force base, police said.

&quot;He burned himself inside the hotel room 510,&quot; national police chief Ronald dela Rosa told a media conference. &quot;He lay down on the bed, covered himself in a thick blanket and apparently doused himself in gasoline.&quot;

The bodies of two of the victims had been taken to the Veronica funeral parlour, staff member Leni Domingo told Reuters.

Resort owner Travellers International Hotel Group Inc, a joint venture of the Philippines&rsquo; Alliance Global Group Inc and Genting Hong Kong Ltd, said authorities were still seeking details.

&quot;We have been informed of several casualties, the number and identities of whom have yet to be determined,&quot; it said in a statement. Its shares were down 7 percent.

Officials said at least 54 people were hurt, some seriously, as they rushed to escape what at first had been feared as a militant attack.

&quot;Don&#39;t panic, this is not a cause for alarm. We cannot attribute this to terrorism,&quot; national police chief dela Rosa told DZMM radio.

&quot;We are looking into a robbery angle because he did not hurt any people and went straight to the casino chips storage room. He parked at the second floor and barged into the casino, shooting large TV screens and poured gasoline on a table setting it on fire,&quot; he said.

Police said the gunman was tall with a pale complexion and spoke English.

Gunshots, panic

Videos posted earlier on social media showed people fleeing as several loud bangs were heard.

&quot;Even the security personnel panicked. Maybe because of the heavy firearm, they can&#39;t put up a fight so they prioritised life and safety,&quot; Jeff Santos, a high roller at Resorts World Manila, told a Philippine radio station. &quot;Definitely us patrons we did not expect that, everyone ran away.&quot;

Jeri Ann Santiago, who works in the emergency room at the San Juan de Dios hospital, said patients were suffering the effects of smoke inhalation and some had injuries such as fractures. None had gunshot wounds, she said.

Kimberly Molitas, a spokeswoman for the capital&#39;s police office, said 113 million Philippine pesos ($2.27 million) worth of casino chips stolen during the raid had been recovered.

The Philippines has been on heightened alert amid a crisis in the south of the country, where troops have been battling Islamist rebels since May 23.

Duterte declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao last week and has warned it could become a haven for supporters fleeing Iraq and Syria.

Earlier, US&nbsp;President Donald Trump said Washington was closely monitoring what he described as a &quot;terrorist&quot; attack unfolding in Manila.

Dozens of police trucks and several huge Special Action Force vans and armoured personnel carriers lined side streets near the hotel, casino and shopping mall complex as the drama unfolded.

Gil Yonco, 54, stood weeping in the street at around 5 a.m. His daughter had been on the second floor inside Resorts World and called her father for help because she was being suffocated by smoke.

He tried calling back but there was no answer. &quot;I am very worried as a parent, I need to find her,&quot; he said.

A casino worker named Julio from the third floor of the complex told DZMM radio he heard many gunshots and saw people running up the stairs from the second floor.

Maintenance worker Ronald Romualdo told the station he saw a woman fall from an upper floor while trying to escape. &quot;Several people were injured,&quot; he said.

(Reuters)

Most of the dead suffocated in the chaos as guests and staff tried to flee choking smoke at the complex

At least 36 people died after a gunman burst into a Manila casino, firing shots and setting gaming tables alight, a spokesman for the Philippine president said on Friday, in what officials believe was a botched robbery attempt. There was no evidence linking the attack at the Resorts World Manila entertainment complex to fighting between government troops and Islamist militants in the country's south, said Ernesto Abella, a spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte. "All indications point to a criminal act by an apparently emotionally disturbed individual," Abella told a media conference. "Although the perpetrator gave warning shots, there apparently was no indication that he wanted to do harm or shoot anyone." Most of the dead suffocated in the chaos as guests and staff tried to flee choking smoke at the complex after the drama that began shortly after midnight (1600 GMT). Oscar Albayalde, chief of the capital's police office, said those that died were in the casino's main gaming area. "What caused their deaths is the thick smoke," he told reporters. "The room was carpeted and of course the tables, highly combustible." Resorts World Manila official said the dead included 13 employees and 22 guests. Death in room 510 Around dawn, the body of the suspected gunman was found in a hotel room in the still-smoking complex, which is close to Ninoy Aquino International Airport and an air force base, police said. "He burned himself inside the hotel room 510," national police chief Ronald dela Rosa told a media conference. "He lay down on the bed, covered himself in a thick blanket and apparently doused himself in gasoline." The bodies of two of the victims had been taken to the Veronica funeral parlour, staff member Leni Domingo told Reuters. Resort owner Travellers International Hotel Group Inc, a joint venture of the Philippines’ Alliance Global Group Inc and Genting Hong Kong Ltd, said authorities were still seeking details. "We have been informed of several casualties, the number and identities of whom have yet to be determined," it said in a statement. Its shares were down 7 percent. Officials said at least 54 people were hurt, some seriously, as they rushed to escape what at first had been feared as a militant attack. "Don't panic, this is not a cause for alarm. We cannot attribute this to terrorism," national police chief dela Rosa told DZMM radio. "We are looking into a robbery angle because he did not hurt any people and went straight to the casino chips storage room. He parked at the second floor and barged into the casino, shooting large TV screens and poured gasoline on a table setting it on fire," he said. Police said the gunman was tall with a pale complexion and spoke English. Gunshots, panic Videos posted earlier on social media showed people fleeing as several loud bangs were heard. "Even the security personnel panicked. Maybe because of the heavy firearm, they can't put up a fight so they prioritised life and safety," Jeff Santos, a high roller at Resorts World Manila, told a Philippine radio station. "Definitely us patrons we did not expect that, everyone ran away." Jeri Ann Santiago, who works in the emergency room at the San Juan de Dios hospital, said patients were suffering the effects of smoke inhalation and some had injuries such as fractures. None had gunshot wounds, she said. Kimberly Molitas, a spokeswoman for the capital's police office, said 113 million Philippine pesos ($2.27 million) worth of casino chips stolen during the raid had been recovered. The Philippines has been on heightened alert amid a crisis in the south of the country, where troops have been battling Islamist rebels since May 23. Duterte declared martial law on the southern island of Mindanao last week and has warned it could become a haven for supporters fleeing Iraq and Syria. Earlier, US President Donald Trump said Washington was closely monitoring what he described as a "terrorist" attack unfolding in Manila. Dozens of police trucks and several huge Special Action Force vans and armoured personnel carriers lined side streets near the hotel, casino and shopping mall complex as the drama unfolded. Gil Yonco, 54, stood weeping in the street at around 5 a.m. His daughter had been on the second floor inside Resorts World and called her father for help because she was being suffocated by smoke. He tried calling back but there was no answer. "I am very worried as a parent, I need to find her," he said. A casino worker named Julio from the third floor of the complex told DZMM radio he heard many gunshots and saw people running up the stairs from the second floor. Maintenance worker Ronald Romualdo told the station he saw a woman fall from an upper floor while trying to escape. "Several people were injured," he said. (Reuters)

At least 36 dead in Manila casino attack

A gunman was on the loose at a casino complex in the Philippine capital on Friday after firing an assault rifle in a gambling room, but nobody has been reported shot or taken hostage, the national police chief said.

People ran screaming out of Resorts World Manila, which is across a road from one of the main terminals of the Philippines&#39; international airport, after the man fired what police chief Ronald dela Rosa said was an M4 assault rifle.

&quot;There hasn&#39;t been anyone shot... there are only injuries from people who tried to escape in a stampede or from smoke,&quot; Dela Rosa said on DZMM radio.

Dela Rosa said he could not say if it was a terrorist attack, but emphasised the gunman did not shoot anyone and there had been no reports of hostages being taken.

It was initially believed that a group of militants, belived to be associated with Islamic State, had stormed the casino and opened fire.

Local media reports&nbsp;had suggested that the fighters belonged to Indonesia, Chechnya (Russia), Malaysia and Yemen.

Islamic State, who have escalated their street fights against the country&#39;s army, had also claimed responsibility for the attack.

IS said &quot;lonewolf soldiers&quot; from its group carried out the attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group that monitors terrorist organisations.

But dela Rosa said: &quot;We cannot attribute this to terrorism.&quot;

He said it may have just have been an attempted robbery, pointing out the gunman tried to steal the gambling chips.

The gunman, who had not been found for close to five hours after the shooting, has been killed, police said.&nbsp;

Dela Rosa said the man, who appeared to be acting alone, walked into one of the gambling rooms and fired the rifle at a large television screen, then poured gasoline onto a gambling table and set it alight.

He said the man then fired again at a stock room containing gambling chips and filled a backpack with them.

The man left the room and went upstairs to a hotel section of the complex, according to dela Rosa.

&quot;We have cleared the rooms (on the floor of the hotel the gunman was last seen) but we don&#39;t see where he is,&quot; dela Rosa said.

Windows were smashed on the second floor of the complex just before daylight broke, but it was unclear why and by nearly 6:00 am police did not report any breakthrough in the hunt for the gunman.

Terrified&nbsp;

People inside the casino recounted feelings of terror when the shooting occurred.

&quot;I was about to return to the second floor from my break when I saw people running. Some hotel guests said someone yelled &#39;ISIS&#39;,&quot; Maricel Navaro, an employee of Resorts World, told DZMM radio.&nbsp;

ISIS is another acronym for the Islamic State group.

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en">
GUNSHOTS HEARD! RESORTS WORLD MANILA! 
BESAFE EVERYONE! FIRE SPOTTED PRAYERS TO YOU ALL <a href="https://t.co/GpoYP965FB">pic.twitter.com/GpoYP965FB</a>
&mdash; Magik (@officialdjmagik) <a href="https://twitter.com/officialdjmagik/status/870330825849614338">June 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

&quot;Guests were screaming. We went to the basement locker room and hid there. People were screaming, guests and employees were in panic,&quot; Navaro said.

<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10209618264870475%26set%3Da.1810261293338.2085158.1144148555%26type%3D3&amp;width=500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="500"></iframe>

&quot;When we smelled smoke, we decided to go for the exit in the carpark. That&#39;s where we got out. Before we exited, we heard two gunshots and there was thick smoke on the ground floor.&quot;

Outside the complex, relatives of people caught inside waited to hear news of their loved ones.

&quot;Our daughter called us past midnight saying she was in the VIP section of the casino and there was smoke and they were suffocating,&quot; Gil Yongco, 42, told AFP.

&quot;We are very worried about her. We haven&#39;t heard from her and she is not on the list of casualties. We want to know if she is still alive.&quot;

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law last week across the southern region of Mindanao to crush what he said was a rising threat of Islamic State there.

He declared martial law shortly after militants went on a rampage through the southern city of Marawi, which is about 800 kilometres (500 miles) south of Manila.

Security forces are still battling the militants in Marawi, and the clashes there have left at least 171 people dead.

Duterte said last week he may need to declare martial law across the rest of the country if the terrorism threat spread.

A Muslim separatist rebellion in the southern Philippines has killed more than 120,000 people since the 1970s.

The main Muslim rebel groups have signed accords with the government aimed at forging lasting peace, giving up their separatist ambitions in return for autonomy.

However a range of hardline militants groups have rejected the peace process and in recent years have sought to unite behind IS.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The police chief didn't suspect it to be an act of terrorism, saying it may have just have been an attempted robbery

A gunman was on the loose at a casino complex in the Philippine capital on Friday after firing an assault rifle in a gambling room, but nobody has been reported shot or taken hostage, the national police chief said. People ran screaming out of Resorts World Manila, which is across a road from one of the main terminals of the Philippines' international airport, after the man fired what police chief Ronald dela Rosa said was an M4 assault rifle. "There hasn't been anyone shot... there are only injuries from people who tried to escape in a stampede or from smoke," Dela Rosa said on DZMM radio. Dela Rosa said he could not say if it was a terrorist attack, but emphasised the gunman did not shoot anyone and there had been no reports of hostages being taken. It was initially believed that a group of militants, belived to be associated with Islamic State, had stormed the casino and opened fire. Local media reports had suggested that the fighters belonged to Indonesia, Chechnya (Russia), Malaysia and Yemen. Islamic State, who have escalated their street fights against the country's army, had also claimed responsibility for the attack. IS said "lonewolf soldiers" from its group carried out the attack, according to the SITE Intelligence Group that monitors terrorist organisations. But dela Rosa said: "We cannot attribute this to terrorism." He said it may have just have been an attempted robbery, pointing out the gunman tried to steal the gambling chips. The gunman, who had not been found for close to five hours after the shooting, has been killed, police said. Dela Rosa said the man, who appeared to be acting alone, walked into one of the gambling rooms and fired the rifle at a large television screen, then poured gasoline onto a gambling table and set it alight. He said the man then fired again at a stock room containing gambling chips and filled a backpack with them. The man left the room and went upstairs to a hotel section of the complex, according to dela Rosa. "We have cleared the rooms (on the floor of the hotel the gunman was last seen) but we don't see where he is," dela Rosa said. Windows were smashed on the second floor of the complex just before daylight broke, but it was unclear why and by nearly 6:00 am police did not report any breakthrough in the hunt for the gunman. Terrified People inside the casino recounted feelings of terror when the shooting occurred. "I was about to return to the second floor from my break when I saw people running. Some hotel guests said someone yelled 'ISIS'," Maricel Navaro, an employee of Resorts World, told DZMM radio. ISIS is another acronym for the Islamic State group. GUNSHOTS HEARD! RESORTS WORLD MANILA! BESAFE EVERYONE! FIRE SPOTTED PRAYERS TO YOU ALL pic.twitter.com/GpoYP965FB — Magik (@officialdjmagik) June 1, 2017 "Guests were screaming. We went to the basement locker room and hid there. People were screaming, guests and employees were in panic," Navaro said. "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." Outside the complex, relatives of people caught inside waited to hear news of their loved ones. "Our daughter called us past midnight saying she was in the VIP section of the casino and there was smoke and they were suffocating," Gil Yongco, 42, told AFP. "We are very worried about her. We haven't heard from her and she is not on the list of casualties. We want to know if she is still alive." Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte imposed martial law last week across the southern region of Mindanao to crush what he said was a rising threat of Islamic State there. He declared martial law shortly after militants went on a rampage through the southern city of Marawi, which is about 800 kilometres (500 miles) south of Manila. Security forces are still battling the militants in Marawi, and the clashes there have left at least 171 people dead. Duterte said last week he may need to declare martial law across the rest of the country if the terrorism threat spread. A Muslim separatist rebellion in the southern Philippines has killed more than 120,000 people since the 1970s. The main Muslim rebel groups have signed accords with the government aimed at forging lasting peace, giving up their separatist ambitions in return for autonomy. However a range of hardline militants groups have rejected the peace process and in recent years have sought to unite behind IS. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Manila casino attack not by IS fighters, but lone gunman: Police

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Indebted gambler behind Philippines casino attack: Police

At least 36 dead in Manila casino attack

Manila casino attack not by IS fighters, but lone gunman: Police