Philippines: Jailed Duterte critic Leila De Lima held hostage as police kill 3 inmates amid rampage in Manila prison
- Police said that Leila De Lima was being used as a cover by inmates, whose intentions were to escape from prison
- The outspoken critic of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly drug war has been behind bars since 2017 on drug trafficking charges that she denies
Philippine police killed three inmates, including a top Abu Sayyaf militant, after they stabbed an officer and briefly held a detained former opposition Senator on Sunday in a failed attempt to escape from the police.
Jailed Philippine human rights campaigner Leila De Lima was briefly taken hostage on Sunday during the attempted breakout.
The incident happened at the national police headquarters, where de Lima, a former Senator, has been held for more than five years with other high-profile detainees.
One of the three inmates stabbed a police officer who was delivering breakfast to the inmates after dawn. A police officer posted at a sentry tower fired warning shots, and then shot and killed two of the prisoners, including Abu Sayyaf Commander Idang Susukan, when they refused to yield, police said.
The third inmate ran to the cell of de Lima and briefly held her hostage but he was also gunned down by police commandos, Azurin said.