Manila, Philippines: According to officials, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was taken into custody in Manila on Tuesday on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for suspected crimes against humanity connected to his war on drugs.

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) Manila received the arrest order from the ICC early today, according to a statement from the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), as reported by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

According to the media source, the Prosecutor General produced the formal ICC notice verifying Duterte’s arrest order when he landed in the Philippines at 9:20 a.m. on Cathay Pacific flight CX 907 from Hong Kong.

CNN claimed that Duterte has returned to Manila after a heated address he gave to the Filipino diaspora in the city during a campaign event on Sunday. The former leader also criticized the ICC investigation.

The ICC charged the 79-year-old Duterte with “the crime against humanity of murder,” noting the tens of thousands of victims who were slain by police and vigilantes without any evidence that they were engaged in drug use.

Duterte’s harsh anti-drug campaign, which took place during his tenure as Philippine president from 2016 to 2022.

According to the lawsuit reported by news site Al Jazeera, the so-called “war on drugs” killed thousands of people, including children, and denied suspected “due process under the law.”

However, according to Al Jazeera, Duterte questioned whether his detention was lawful on Tuesday.

Veronica Duterte, his daughter, posted a video of Duterte saying, “What is the law and what is the crime that I committed,” on social media.

“Now tell me the legal reason I’m here, as it seems I wasn’t brought here voluntarily. It belongs to someone else,” he said.

In order to maintain openness during the operation, the Philippine National Police officers who executed the warrant on Tuesday were also outfitted with body cameras, according to the PNA report.

Prior to this, the Philippine government said that it would not assist with the ICC’s probe against Duterte. It did point out, however, that the nation would have to fulfill its duties to Interpol.