A mayor of a town in the Philippines narrowly survived after being ambushed by assailants using an RPG launcher and automatic firearms at a gas station. This was the fourth assassination attempt in his life, with police focusing on local political conflicts as the motive.
A brazen assassination attempt occurred in the Philippines when Akmad Ampatuan, mayor of Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao del Sur province, narrowly escaped death after being ambushed by gunmen armed with heavy weapons, including a shoulder-fired anti-tank rocket launcher (RPG), on 26 January.
Viral CCTV footage shows a man hiding behind a gray van opposite the gas station as Mayor Ampatuan’s black SUV was turning in. The assailant fired an RPG directly at the mayor’s vehicle while another man wearing a red shirt sprayed automatic gunfire at the car.
The video shows the rocket striking the rear of the vehicle, producing a cloud of smoke, but the mayor’s car accelerated rapidly and escaped the scene.
Local media outlet Minda News reported that two of the mayor’s security guards were injured. Three assailants were killed in a police shootout at the scene, while one attacker managed to escape.
Philippine National Police spokesman Police Colonel Randolph Detono said the leader of the attackers was named "Raprap." The perpetrators were all relatives—uncles, cousins, and siblings—with the driver among those who fled. Police suspect the motive was intense local political conflict leading to a hired assassination attempt.
Mayor Ampatuan said in a press conference he did not expect the assailants to use such highly destructive weapons. "RPG-level weapons are not something ordinary people use. This is clearly the work of professionals," he stated, calling for enhanced security measures.
This was not Mayor Ampatuan’s first assassination attempt; his survival history is remarkable. In 2010, he was targeted by a roadside bomb, followed by two more ambush attempts in 2014 and 2019.
. . .USA TODAY