Manila [Philippines], March 13 (ANI): Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has reached the Netherlands and has been surrendered to the custody of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on allegations of crimes against humanity over his deadly 'war on drugs,' Al Jazeera reported.

He was arrested in Manila on Tuesday, after returning from a visit to Hong Kong. Police placed him on a plane to Rotterdam.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ICC said Duterte (79) had been arrested by Philippines authorities following an arrest warrant issued by Pre-Trial Chamber I for charges of murder as a crime against humanity, according to the Al Jazeera report.

According to the statement, Duterte will be brought before an ICC judge in The Hague in the coming days for an initial appearance. He was taken to a detention unit on the Dutch coast.

The warrant issued by the ICC stated that Duterte, as President, created, funded and armed death squads that participated in the killing of alleged drug users and dealers. He would become the first Asian former head of state to face trial in The Hague.

Anti-Duterte protesters welcomed his arrest outside the ICC building in The Hague and held banners that read, 'We demand justice and accountability, Rodrigo Duterte is a war criminal!'

Earlier in 2021, the ICC launched its inquiry into the mass killings related to the war on drugs, which Duterte oversaw while he served as Davao City's mayor and later as president, Al Jazeera reported.

According to the warrant, ICC judges who analysed the evidence of the prosecution to support their request for his arrest found 'reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Duterte is individually responsible for the crime against humanity of murder' as an 'indirect co-perpetrator for having allegedly overseen the killings when he was mayor of Davao and later president of the Philippines.'

While Duterte served as the Philippines' President for six years, 6,200 suspects were killed during anti-drug operations, according to police. According to human rights advocates, some 30,000 people were killed. (ANI)