Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested under an international arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, BTA reported.
The warrant was issued for alleged crimes against humanity committed during Duterte's murderous war on drug traffickers, the Philippine presidency announced.
This morning, the Interpol office in Manila received a copy of the arrest warrant issued by the ICC and Duterte was arrested as he got off a plane in the capital.
Duterte's former lawyer - Salvador Panelo, said that the former president's arrest was illegal, Reuters reported. He said Duterte did not have a lawyer now. Panelo added that the ICC has no jurisdiction in the Philippines, but the court said that Duterte's case concerns alleged crimes committed before the country withdrew from the ICC.
Duterte was president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022, DPA recalls. During that time, he waged a war on drug traffickers, during which thousands of suspects were killed in police operations. The campaign has sparked controversy. But Duterte has said in the past that he is willing to go to prison for it.