Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte threatens to literally eat members of the Abu Sayyaf Group alive if they continue to pursue terrorism.
Duterte, who is known for his expletive-laced speeches, turned his ire on the Abu Sayyaf, the al-Qaeda-linked terror group which denied responsibility for the last week's bomb attack that killed 14 people and wounded 67 others in Davao City.
The president defended his tough stance against criminality and narcotics trade and said lawless elements like terrorists were already "beyond redemption."
"If I have to face them, you know I can eat humans. I will really open up your body. Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you," Duterte told The Jakarta Post.
"That's true. If you annoy me to the fullest... I will eat you alive. Raw," he added.
Duterte addressed the Abu Sayyaf group and said: "Go ahead. Set off bombs. Time will come when I will eat you in front of the people. I will devour you and if I have to, erase you."
A couple of days before flying to Laos for a regional summit, Duterte referred to US President Barack Obama as a "son of a bitch" and warned Obama not to challenge him over extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.
"You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions," Duterte said of Obama.
He prompted the American leader to call off their bilateral meeting slated on Tuesday.
"Clearly, he's a colorful guy. What I've instructed my team to do is talk to their Philippine counterparts to find out is this in fact a time where we can have some constructive, productive conversations," Obama said.
Later, Duterte expressed his regrets for his foul-mouthed rant against the US President. "While the immediate cause was my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress, we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US President," he said.
