NBI official's death an accident, no foul play —Guevarra

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) does not see any foul play in the death of its counter-terrorism division chief this week, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Friday.

Guevarra said NBI OIC Director Eric Distor told him the death of Head Agent Raoul Manguerra was due to "accidental fire." But he said Distor did not say who fired.

"Foul play, however, appears to be out of the question," Guevarra said in a message to reporters.

Manguerra died around midnight on Tuesday of a gunshot wound in the abdomen, according to police.

He was rushed to the hospital after his driver and an NBI employee heard a gunshot in his office at the bureau headquarters in Manila, police said.

Guevarra lamented Manguerra's death just when the government is going "full blast" in the implementation of the anti-terrorism law.

"It's just too bad that this happened, this passing away of Atty. Manguerra, but we'll have to deal with that and we express our deepest sympathies to the family of Atty. Manguerra and we hope that the NBI will be able to proceed with its task of dealing with anti-terrorism in honor of the late Atty. Manguerra," he said in an interview at the NBI.—AOL, GMA News