23 Die as Cult Leader’s Arrest Triggers Gunfire
THE PHILIPPINES
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At least 23 people were killed in two shooting incidents in the central Philippines after police tried to arrest a cult leader accused of killing his wife, police said.
Shooting started late Tuesday after 150 police arrived to arrest Ruben Ecleo Jr., leader of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Assn., on Dinagat island. Followers of the cult believe Ecleo’s father was the reincarnation of Christ.
The dead included a police officer, 16 cult members and a witness in the case against Ecleo, officials said. Ecleo eventually surrendered.
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