An Islamic State operative claims responsibility for the attack by masked gunmen.
Gunshots, explosions and a fire erupted early Friday at the sprawling Resorts World Manila, a casino and resort on Manila Bay in the Philippines, leaving dozens of people injured, according to media reports.
Philippine police chief says no evidence that casino attack is terrorism and no confirmed reports of gunshot wounds.
In Washington, President Trump, however, issued a statement saying the White House was monitoring the situation. “It’s really very sad what’s going on throughout the world with terror, ” he added.
A member of the local Red Cross team said at least 25 people were injured, The Manila Times reports .
The newspaper quotes Fernando Atienza, a local Red Cross team leader, as saying many of the victims suffered serious injuries from jumping from the second floor of the hotel.
Witnesses told police that gunmen wearing masks and black shirts opened fire inside the hotel, ABS-CBN News reports .
One employee, who described himself as a casino dealer, said one of the attackers poured flammable liquid on one of the casino tables and set it on fire, ABS-CBN said.
Although the Philippine police chief found no terrorist tie, the SITE Intelligence group, a U. S.-based group that tracks extremist groups, said an operative for the Islamic State claimed that the group was responsible for the attack.
Resorts World Manila, which bills itself as the country’s largest casino resort, is located in Pasay City, which is part of metropolitan Manila.
The incident erupted at a time of unrest by extremist groups elsewhere in the country. On May 23, President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao to combat what he said was a rebellion by Islamic State radicals in that southern Philippines island.
