Philippines Arrests Former President Rodrigo Duterte on Warrant From ICC

The arrest is likely to bring to a head a feud between Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Duterte's successor, and Sara Duterte

- Gabriele Steinhauser & Bella Perez-Rubio

The Philippines said Tuesday it arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte on a warrant from the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity during his bloody "war on drugs."

The arrest—a rare triumph for The Hague-based court, which has struggled to get states to act on its warrants—is likely to bring to a head a feud between Duterte's successor, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and his daughter, Sara Duterte, the country's vice president.

It could also rock the Philippines' relationship with the U.S., which counts on the country as one of its closest allies in its accelerating standoff with China.

Marcos Jr.'s office said Duterte, 79, was taken into custody Tuesday morning on an ICC warrant provided by the global law-enforcement body Interpol after he arrived back in Manila on a flight from Hong Kong.

It said the warrant was for alleged crimes against humanity, which the court defines as widespread or systematic attacks against civilians, including murder, torture and rape.

The ICC launched an investigation into Duterte's war on drugs in 2021.

Human-rights groups say more than 12,000 people were killed in antidrug operations during Duterte's six years in office, when police and state-backed vigilantes violently targeted anyone even loosely suspected of selling drugs.