Two suspects arrested over the attack claimed the order had come from overseas, Police Lieutenant Colonel Alfonso Saligumba III told reporters during a press conference late Wednesday at Manila City Hall.
Brothers Abel and Albert Manabat, who remain in custody, are accused of involvement in the ambush-style killing of Akinobu Nakayama, 42, and Hideaki Satori, 52, both Japanese nationals.
Authorities are still pursuing at least two others, including the suspected gunman who fatally shot the men as they stepped out of a taxi on Malvar Street in Malate, in front of the Sheraton Hotel, on August 15.
The assailants fled the scene on a Suzuki SkyDrive motorcycle, which was later dumped in a nearby river and has since been recovered by police, Saligumba said.
Investigators believe the attack was carefully planned. According to Saligumba, Abel – who had acted as a “tour guide” for the two victims – told police he was previously contacted by a former acquaintance who asked him to help carry out the killings for a fee offered by an unnamed “mastermind”.
