KUALA LUMPUR – The masked man who stormed into the Ulu Tiram police station yesterday morning, killing two police officers and injuring another before being shot dead, acted alone, according to Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution.
The 21-year-old Malaysian was not linked to any organised group or was not part of any big mission, the Home Minister added.
“Our initial investigation revealed that the attacker had acted alone… lone wolf, so to speak – and was driven by his own motivations and beliefs. He did not mix around with anyone.
“This is what we have gathered from the interviews we conducted with the individuals the police have called in since the incident. We have established that he acted alone,” he said.
Saifuddin was speaking at a press conference at the Johor police headquarters this morning.
He added that the police interviewed a total of 46 people and had released all of them this morning.
“We are currently holding the suspect’s family – mother, father, and three siblings – for further investigation,” he added.
Yesterday’s incident does not pose any threat to public safety, despite some public perceptions and media reports, Saifuddin said.
“Therefore, we urge the public and the media to stop spreading speculation about the attack at the Ulu Tiram police station,” he added.
It had previously been reported that the attack at the Ulu Tiram Police Station early yesterday morning, which killed two policemen and injured another, was carried out by a suspect linked with the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) group.
Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain reportedly said that the suspect, who was shot dead at the scene, planned and carried out the attack to secure the firearms stored at the police station.
Following the incident, police raided the suspect’s house and arrested five family members, aged between 19 and 62, also believed to be JI members.
The suspect’s father is a JI member in Ulu Tiram, and materials related to the group were found at the suspect’s residence.
Saifuddin also said that the post-mortem on the slain policemen was completed last night.
“Their bodies will be brought to the Johor headquarters at about 11am for solat jenazah before being taken back to their hometowns in Bidor, Perak, and Kuantan, Pahang,” he added.
The two police officers killed were constables Ahmad Azza Fahmi Azhar and Muhamad Syafiq Ahmad Said, both of whom had only joined the force less than two years ago.
Azza suffered injuries to the head and neck, believed to be from being hacked with a machete, while Syafiq had gunshot wounds on his body.
Meanwhile, Mohd Hasif Roslan, the police corporal who was also shot, is currently being treated at the state capital’s Sultan Ismail Hospital. – May 18, 2024