MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine police say they have identified 161 suspects in the massacre of 57 people last month, including government militiamen led by members of a powerful clan facing murder and rebellion charges.
National police chief Jesus Verzosa says witnesses identified Andal Ampatuan Jr., the scion of the clan, leading the group of militiamen who stopped his rival's convoy that included 30 journalists and their staff in the southern province of Maguindanao.
Verzosa said Wednesday that witnesses told investigators Ampatuan himself shot some of the victims. He says their bodies bore bullet wounds in the mouth and chest fired from close range.
Ampatuan turned himself in three days after the Nov. 23 killings and denied involvement. His father, the family patriarch, and other relatives also have been arrested.
