MANILA: Beijing has claimed diplomatic immunity for a Chinese couple suspected in the shooting deaths of two Chinese diplomats and the wounding of the country’s consul-general in the central Philippines, and will take custody of them, an official said Thursday.

A Chinese man has been accused of killing diplomats Sun Shan and Hui Li and injuring Consul-General Song Ronghua on Wednesday in a restaurant in Cebu City, where they worked at Beijing’s consulate. Police say the alleged attacker is the husband of another Chinese diplomat who has also been taken into custody.

The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said Beijing has invoked the Chinese couple’s diplomatic immunity under the 1961 Vienna Convention and a 2009 bilateral accord and has asked to take custody of them so they can be investigated and possibly tried in China.

“The Chinese government would like to take custody of them and they will have to undergo the Chinese legal process,” department spokesman Charles Jose said at a news conference.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said an investigation is underway to determine the motive for the attack and gather details. “We felt deeply distressed over this incident,” she said at a regular news briefing.