A 40-YEAR-old man identified as Hamad Ansa was killed after allegedly resisting arrest during a police operation in Matalam, Cotabato, on the night of January 1, authorities said.
Ansa, a resident of Barangay Kilada, was the prime suspect in a grenade-throwing incident that occurred shortly after midnight in Brgy. Dalapitan, also in Matalam.
Police said Ansa was arrested by responding personnel and taken to his house, where he allegedly resisted law enforcers, leading to his death.
Details on how the confrontation escalated were not immediately disclosed by authorities.
According to Cotabato Police Provincial Office spokesperson Police Lieutenant James Warren Caang, the grenade attack was allegedly motivated by retaliation linked to the intensified campaign against illegal drugs.
Caang said the incident is believed to involve more than one suspect.
Police said another individual connected to the grenade attack remains at large and is the subject of a continuing manhunt.
Authorities are conducting further investigation to determine the full circumstances surrounding Ansa’s death and the grenade incident.
