Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has left Manila on a plane bound for The Hague, hours after he was served with an arrest warrant by the international criminal court for killings resulting from his "war on drugs."
President Ferdinand Marcos told a news conference that a plane carrying Duterte took off at 11:03 p.m. local time. “He is on his way to The Hague in the Netherlands, allowing the former president to face charges of crimes against humanity related to his bloody war on drugs,” he said.
Duterte's youngest daughter, Veronica Duterte, said on social media that the plane was used to "kidnap" her father.
The former leader, who turns 80 this month, is accused by ICC prosecutors of crimes against humanity related to his drug crackdowns in which an estimated 30,000 people were killed. Most of the victims were men in poor, urban areas who were gunned down in the streets simply because they were drug users.
Duterte was arrested Tuesday morning at Manila's main airport after returning from Hong Kong. "Early this morning, Interpol Manila received the official copy of the arrest warrant from the ICC," the presidential palace said in a statement. "At present, he is in the custody of the authorities."
Veronica Duterte said he was put on another plane and his family was not informed of his destination. "They took my dad from us, put him on a plane and didn't say where. Wake up people," she posted on social media.
Video shared online shows the former leader walking with a cane and being helped up the steps of a plane, surrounded by security. His lawyer, Martin Delgra, told local media that he was destined for The Hague, where the ICC is located, although this has not been confirmed by officials.