Shooting occurred in the Philippine Senate while authorities were trying to arrest a member of the Senate

Gunfire was heard on Wednesday in the Philippine Senate as authorities attempted to arrest a member of the Senate, against whom an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, an Associated Press journalist and other eyewitnesses said.

It was not immediately clear what led to the shooting and whether there were injured people in the Senate, as Senator Ronald Dela Rosa remained under protection from his allies in the House of Representatives, while the Philippine authorities attempted to arrest him, and it was possible that he would later be extradited to the International Criminal Court.

On Monday, the International Criminal Court revealed an arrest warrant for Dela Rosa, the former head of the National Police, who was the first to implement drug suppression operations during the era of former President Rodrigo Duterte, during which thousands of suspects, most of whom were petty criminals, were killed.

The arrest warrant, issued last November, accuses Dela Rosa of committing crimes against humanity by killing “at least 32 people” between July 2016 and the end of April 2028, when he was leading the National Police under Duterte’s rule.