Senator Fakes Escape From Senate After ICC Warrant

A senator in the Philippines, wanted by an international court for alleged crimes during a drug crackdown, managed to slip out of the Senate building after a chaotic night. The senator had been staying inside the heavily guarded chamber, hoping to avoid arrest. When a confrontation broke out with a government agent, guards fired several shots into the air. The confusion allowed the senator to slip through an opening and leave the premises. The president called for calm on television, but police were already investigating whether the shooting was staged to give the senator a chance to escape. The Senate’s top officer said that no arrest order had been presented, and the senator was free to leave. Critics argued that both the Senate chief and the security head should face blame for letting him slip away.The senator, who once led the national police under a former president, is accused by the court of ordering or allowing at least 32 killings between mid‑2016 and early 2018. The former president himself is now on trial abroad for similar charges. Both men deny that they ever authorized illegal killings, although the former president has openly threatened drug suspects during his time in office. Political tensions are high. The senator’s family is at odds with the current administration, accusing it of kidnapping their father and sending him to a foreign court. Meanwhile, the former president’s daughter was impeached by a house dominated by allies of the current leader for alleged financial misconduct and violent threats. The Senate is preparing to try her in an upcoming impeachment hearing. The senator’s sudden appearance at the Senate on a Monday, riding in a colleague’s car, helped his ally gain control of the chamber. When officials tried to serve the court’s arrest warrant, he darted toward a narrow stairwell and was taken into protective custody by fellow senators.