A Japanese national living in Japan is suspected of ordering the killing of two fellow Japanese men in Manila, with a financial dispute being the likely motive, Philippine police said Tuesday.
Authorities said the suspect allegedly hired two Filipino brothers to kill the two men, paying them an initial down payment of 10,000 pesos ($174) toward an agreed fee of 9 million pesos ($157,233). The brothers, Albert Manabat, 50, who allegedly killed the victims, and his sibling Abel Manabat, 62, a tour guide, have been arrested.
Investigators believe the Japanese suspect had traveled frequently to the Philippines and became acquainted with Abel, who served as his driver. Police allege he then asked the brothers to carry out the shooting.
The victims were identified as Hideaki Satori, 53, a systems engineer from Fukuoka Prefecture, and Akinobu Nakayama, 41, from Shizuoka Prefecture.
The two men, who often visited the Philippines for casino trips, had arrived on Aug. 14, a day before the attack. They were gunned down on the night of Aug. 15 shortly after stepping out of a taxi near their hotel. The person who shot them then stole their luggage and fled with an accomplice on a motorcycle.
The police referred the brothers to prosecutors on Tuesday and are investigating the whereabouts of another male Philippine accomplice. Prosecutors questioned the two on charges including murder the same day.
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