Philippine Mayor Survives RPG Attack

A Philippine mayor survived a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on his vehicle in broad daylight on Sunday in the south of the country. The assassination attempt was captured on CCTV.

Akmad Mitra Ampatuan, mayor of Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao del Sur province, was travelling at around 6 a.m. when unidentified assailants ambushed his black SUV vehicle.

CCTV footage shows two men stepping out of a white van. One attacker is seen stooping into position and firing the rocket launcher, with the other unleashing bursts of gunfire.

The mayor’s vehicle is seen receiving the impact and fleeing the scene.

Mayor Ampatuan was not injured. Local news agency PNA reported that two members of the mayor’s security detail were injured.

Police launched a pursuit soon after the attack and killed three of the four suspects.

According to PNA, Mayor Ampatuan said in a press conference following the incident, “I didn’t expect them to use such large firearms. RPGs are not weapons ordinary people use. This was a professional crime.” He added, “I will leave it to the Philippine police to identify the attackers.”