Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte greets with supporters as he leaves during a campaign rally at Southorn Stadium on March 9, 2025 in Hong Kong, China. He was arrested in Manila on his return to the Philippines under an ICC arrest warrant. Anthony Kwan/Getty Images
Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested at Manila's international airport on Tuesday under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant over allegations of crimes against humanity.
Duterte, 79, was arrested after arriving from Hong Kong, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos' office said in a statement, adding that Duterte is "in good health" and was examined by doctors.
The ICC has been investigating the mass killings under Duterte's deadly anti-drugs crackdown. During his presidency, Duterte had spoken openly of his desire to see police killing criminals involved in illicit drugs.
Duterte was president from 2016 until 2022 and, before that, the mayor of Davao City.
By the end of his presidency, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said more than 6,000 suspects had been killed under Duterte's war on drugs. Rights groups say the true figure is much higher.
The surprise arrest sparked a commotion at the airport, where lawyers and aides of Duterte loudly protested that they, along with a doctor and lawyers, were prevented from coming close to him after he was taken into police custody.
"This is a violation of his constitutional right," Sen. Bong Go, a close Duterte ally, told reporters.
The warrant of arrest sent by the ICC to Philippine officials, a copy of which was seen by The AP, said "there are reasonable grounds to believe that" the attack on victims "was both widespread and systematic: the attack took place over a period of several years and thousands people appear to have been killed."
Duterte's arrest was necessary "to ensure his appearance before the court," according to the March 7 warrant, adding that the former president was expected to ignore a court summons.
It said that although Duterte was no longer president, he "appears to continue to wield considerable power."
"Mindful of the resultant risk of interference with the investigations and the security of witnesses and victims, the chamber is satisfied that the arrest of Mr. Duterte is necessary."
This is a developing story and more information will be added soon.
This article uses reporting from The Associated Press.
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This story was originally published March 11, 2025 at 3:38 AM.