MANILA: In a shocking incident, the Mayor of the Philippines was attacked by gunmen during broad daylight. The gunmen blasted the mayor’s car with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).
The Philippine PNA news agency and additional sources reported that at 6 a.m. on June 26, the assailants attacked Mayor Akmad Mitra Ampatuan.
The attack happened on his vehicle in a small city located in Magindanao del Sur province in the southern Philippines. The attackers used a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) to attack the vehicle that the mayor used for transportation.
The video recording shows the mayor inside a black vehicle, which moves along the road when two attackers emerge from a white vehicle to launch their assault.
Gunmen hit a Philippine mayor’s armored Land Cruiser with an RPG during a convoy ambush. The armor held – mayor escaped without injury, two escorts wounded.#RPG #phillipines pic.twitter.com/3tdZMwlbVk
— Kanid Jai (@kanidjai) January 26, 2026
One assailant was carrying a rocket launcher on his shoulder, while the other was armed with a rifle. The assailant with the rocket launcher aimed at the mayor’s vehicle and immediately fired, followed by a loud explosion.
Flames erupted from the mayor’s vehicle. The rocket launcher shot impact caused the security camera to shake violently. The mayor’s vehicle, which had bulletproof capabilities, sustained an attack but remained operational.
Post-attack images of the vehicle, released through media outlets, show partial damage to the rear bumper and side, but the vehicle otherwise remains largely intact. The mayor suffered no injuries, according to reports.
Police officers started a manhunt after receiving the report, which resulted in three of the four suspects dying. The authorities suspect that the assassination attempt was carried out by professional assassins.
