Overview
- The ambush unfolded at about 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 25 in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao del Sur, as Mayor Akmad Ampatuan’s convoy approached an intersection near a provincial police headquarters.
- Surveillance video shows two men exiting a white vehicle, one firing a rocket-propelled grenade and another shooting an automatic weapon, as the mayor’s armored SUV drove away; two security personnel suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
- Police and army units pursued the assailants after the attack, resulting in a shootout that left three suspects dead, while one suspect escaped and remains at large.
- The Philippine National Police identified the alleged ringleader as Budtong “Raprap” Pendatun and said his accomplices included relatives, with the surviving driver described as a sibling.
- Ampatuan, who has previously survived attempts on his life, described the operation as professional and requested heightened security as the investigation continues.