Botched bus siege leads to suspension of policemen
Four police officers in the Philippines have been suspended after being part of a failed assault on an ex-policeman and hostages he had taken.
The suspended officers were leading the Monday assault in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed on a tourist bus after having been taken hostage.
Senior Superintendent of the Philippines National Police, Agrimero Cruz, told reporters on Wednesday that the men had been “administratively relieved from their positions.”
The four policemen were a part of a 200-strong Special Weapons and Tactics team that attempted to rescue the hostages in a day long drama that occurred when the ex-policeman, Rolando Mendoza, seized the bus, with 22 Hong Kong tourists and three Filipinos on board.
In conversations with police negotiators, he said he wanted his old job back and to be cleared of extortion charges that had led to him being discharged from the force.
The crisis ended in a hail of bullets, with Mendoza and hostages killed.
Amid fierce criticism from the Hong Kong government, the police force suspended the officers and President Benigno Aquino promised a full investigation.