A mayor in the Philippines escaped a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on his convoy in broad daylight. The attack took place on Sunday in the southern province of Maguindanao del Sur, authorities told local media.
The Philippine News Agency (PNA), the country’s state news agency, said Mayor Akmad Ampatuan was in a bulletproof vehicle when the attack occurred around 6:30 a.m.
Viral video
A video of the incident soon went viral. Footage of the attack also showed a black Toyota SUV carrying Mayor Akmad Ampatuan entering a Caltex gas station around 6 a.m. on January 25.
It showed two men getting out of a white van, one holding what appears to be an RPG and the other carrying a gun.
One of the men then lowered the launcher and aimed it at the street.
He fired his gun before jumping back into the vehicle moments before the black SUV veered onto the road and was hit by the explosion.
The SUV was filmed speeding away with smoke clinging to the rear of the vehicle.
The PNA said the mayor’s backup vehicle, a pickup truck, was also hit by gunfire during the attack.
Many people on social media reacted to the video, calling it “crazy”. Someone also called it a GTA-like incident. “GTA in real life,” commented one.
“The mayor is safe,” Anwar Kuit Emblawa, the mayor’s executive assistant, told PNA. The portal claimed that the mayor had survived two previous assassination attempts in the past five years.
Meanwhile, two members of Ampatuan’s security force were injured, although their injuries were not life-threatening.
According to reports, police and military forces later killed three suspected attackers in a pursuit.
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