Manila hostage taker dead, police confirm
The rogue former officer who held members of the public hostage on a bus in Manila is now dead, police have confirmed today.
Six of the 15 hostages were killed, hospitals in Manila said.
Rolando Mendoza, 55, had been one of five officers charged with robbery, extortion and threats after a Manila hotel chef said police falsely accused him of using drugs to extort money.
Police ended their siege of a tourist bus taken hostage amid chaotic scenes.
Officers swarmed around the bus, which had been parked across the road from the hotel in central Manila, after shooting out its tyres.
During a day-long stand-off Mendoza, who was armed with an assault rifle, had demanded that he be given his job back. He was sacked last year after being convicted of corruption.
Earlier police said the Filipino bus driver, who escaped moments before police surrounded the bus, had told them Mendoza had opened fire at the tourists, all from China.
