Mayor in Philippines survives attack as gunmen fire RPG at his vehicle, car keeps driving despite getting hit

Filipino mayor survives attack after gunmen shot rocket at his vehicle, which kept driving despite getting hit

In an extraordinary turn of events, a Filipino mayor narrowly escaped death on Sunday morning (25 Jan) after gunmen fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at his vehicle, which, against all odds, continued to drive on despite the direct hit.

Shocking footage circulating online shows multiple gunmen exiting a silver van, one of them armed with an RPG.

Source: @visegrad24 on X

According to GMA Network, the gunmen opened fire on the mayor’s Toyota Land Cruiser, which was carrying Mayor Akmad Ampatuan as he made his way home around 6.30am.

Vehicle hit by RPG, still speeds off to safety

In the video, the RPG hits the vehicle square on the side, causing a massive plume of smoke.

Miraculously, the Land Cruiser speeds off, managing to escape the attackers despite the heavy impact.

Source: @visegrad24 on X

The gunmen immediately jumped back into their silver van and drove off, but not before the mayor’s back-up vehicle returned fire.

A brief gunfight ensued as both parties exchanged shots before the attackers managed to flee.

During the exchange, two of Mayor Ampatuan’s security personnel were wounded in the abdomen.

Source: @TGEThGlobalEye on X

Authorities quickly launched a pursuit of the gunmen, with three of them being killed in a firefight along a national highway.

However, the driver managed to escape, and a manhunt is currently underway.

Fourth assassination attempt

According to Inquirer, the police later identified the deceased gunmen as a man known as Rap-rap, along with his relatives. Rap-rap was a wanted fugitive with arrest warrants for murder and robbery.

Authorities also recovered the weapons used in the attack, including the RPG and rifles, from the van.

This marks the fourth time Mayor Ampatuan has been targeted in an assassination attempt. While he suspects a possible connection between the attacks, he remains unsure about the identities of those behind them.

Also read: 8 assassination attempts on political figures, from Donald Trump to Shinzo Abe & Kim Jong Nam

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