The ICC's press office declined to comment. One of Duterte's lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Officials in Dubai also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Duterte, 79, could become the first Asian former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr told a press conference on Tuesday the plane carrying Duterte was en route to The Hague, saying that would allow the former president “to face charges of crimes against humanity in relation to his bloody war on drugs”.
The war on drugs was the signature campaign platform that swept the mercurial Duterte to power in 2016. During his six years in office, 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations, by police count.
But activists said the real toll was far greater, with many thousands more slumland drug users gunned down in mysterious circumstances, some of whom were on community “watch lists” after they signed up for treatment.
Silvestre Bello, a former labour minister and one of the former president's lawyers, said a legal team will meet to assess options and seek clarity on where Duterte will be taken and whether they would be granted access to him.
Duterte's youngest daughter, Veronica, plans to file a habeas corpus request with the Philippine supreme Court to compel the government to bring him back, said Salvador Panelo, his former chief legal counsel.
**Reuters**