On January 25, Philippine Mayor Shariff Aguak, Mr. Akmad Mitra Ampatuan, survived a murder attempt when his armored vehicle withdrew from a grenade attack by armed subjects.
Images from security cameras show that the suspects left a small white truck and used grenade launchers to attack Mr. Ampatuan's black SUV in Barangay Poblacion at 6:20 am on January 25 (local time).
If the car had not been armored, the Mayor would not have been alive" - Chief Executive Officer and spokesman of the Mayor, Mr. Anwar Kuit Emblawa, told local media.
Thank God, the Mayor is safe, no scratches" - Mr. Emblawa added.
Two bodyguards escorting the mayor were injured in the attack but are now stable.
Mr. Emblawa said that this is the 4th time Mr. Ampatuan has been murdered, while the previous 3 cases occurred in 2010, 2014 and 2019. Mayor Ampatuan was injured in the 2 most recent murders, causing him to start using armored vehicles.
The assistant expressed hope that the investigation would be conducted quickly, believing that images collected by local media could provide clues.
The incident happened in broad daylight, there were many people around. The car was parked on the side of the national highway, where there were fruit stalls" - Mr. Emblawa said, and hoped that witnesses would support the investigation.
However, Mr. Emblawa declined to comment on whether the attack had political motives or not.
Mayor Ampatuan also returned to work after the incident. “That is one of the things that politicians have to face” - Mr. Emblawa added.
