Overnight, a former national aviation regulator, Panfilo Villaruel, along with a former navy lieutenant, armed with guns, forced their way into the control tower of the main airport outside the capital. When the police arrived, there was a gun battle and the two men were killed. Panfilo Villaruel has long been a vocal opponent of corruption in the government and military. He was also upset that the government had refused to allow him to proceed with an aircraft design project. Airport operations were interrupted for several hours.
