Shots Fired Inside Philippine Senate as Standoff Over ICC Warrant for Senator Escalates

Overview

• Shots were heard inside the Senate on Wednesday in what the chamber’s leader called an attack, and staff were told to turn off lights and get low while the situation was checked.
• Witnesses and Reuters journalists saw more than 10 soldiers in camouflage with rifles at the complex, and the interior minister said they were there to protect Senator Ronald dela Rosa.
• Dela Rosa, who has stayed inside the Senate since Monday to avoid an International Criminal Court arrest, urged supporters on Facebook to stop any move to fly him to The Hague.
• The ICC accuses the former national police chief of crimes against humanity tied to Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, which police say left about 6,200 dead while rights groups cite far higher numbers.
• Officials reported no immediate casualties and did not say who fired, and the standoff has deepened a political rift over whether to enforce the court’s order.