The former president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, has been taken into custody on accusations of crimes against humanity.

It was reported that his detention was due to an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant upon his arrival in Manila on Tuesday.

At the heart of the case are numerous fatalities that occurred during the period of Duterte’s crackdown on drugs from 2011, when he was mayor, to the end of his presidency in 2022.

Duterte obtained power in 2016 primarily through a policy to execute drug dealers and reduce crime.

The accusations claim that police officers or vigilantes linked to them, including motorcycle-riding gunmen, killed mass numbers of unarmed suspects while Duterte was in office.

The government has denied these allegations.

On Monday, Duterte stated that he was prepared for arrest upon his return to his home country after visiting Hong Kong.

Duterte admitted to a 2022 under-oath statement that he had a “death squad” of gangsters who killed on his orders during his tenure as the mayor of Davao.

However, he denied instructing the police to shoot suspects after becoming president.

When he was in power, Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC’s Rome Statute, which established the ICC.

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Duterte’s administration also tried to suspend the investigation in late 2021, arguing the ICC lacked jurisdiction and asserting that domestic authorities were already examining the claims.

Judges in The Hague dismissed these objections two years ago and concluded that the investigation could proceed.

Current President Bongbong Marcos Jr., who took office in 2022, has not re-entered the ICC.

However, he stated that he would collaborate if a ‘red notice’ for Duterte was issued by Interpol — a request for police worldwide to detain a suspect.