Israeli man arrested with six guns in Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian Police detained a 36-year-old Israeli man in KL with six firearms and 200 bullets. The police chief said investigations are centered on the suspicion of the suspect being an Israeli intelligence agent.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Police apprehended a 36-year-old Israeli man at a hotel located on Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur.
During the operation, they confiscated six firearms and 200 bullets from his possession.
Police Chief Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, stated that during the interrogation, the suspect claimed to have entered the country using a French passport.
However, he stated that the suspect later produced another passport indicating his Israeli citizenship, as reported by Malaysian media Sinar Harian.
"During the inspection, the Criminal Investigation Department (JSJ) of Bukit Aman confiscated six firearms along with 200 rounds of ammunition from the hotel room.
"During the interrogation, the police found that the suspect entered Malaysia on 12 March via Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) using a French passport," he said in a press conference on Friday (29 March).
Razarudin stated that the inspection in the hotel room uncovered firearms such as Glock 19 Marine, Glock 17 Gen 4, Smith and Wesson, Sih Sauer, and Stoeger, along with ammunition stored in a bag.
He stated that investigations revealed that all the aforementioned weapons were purchased by the suspect upon his arrival in the country using cryptocurrency.
He clarified that the payment for the purchased weapons remains undisclosed, including the identity of the recipient for the transaction.
"Investigations by the Criminal Investigation Department of Bukit Aman into the suspect revealed that he came to this country to seek out an individual, also a citizen of his country, to be killed in relation to a family issue.
"However, we are still conducting investigations and it is possible that the suspect may have other agendas for coming to this country," he said.
He stated that the police believe the suspect did not act alone and likely has connections with certain individuals who have yet to be identified.
"He entered the country by flight via the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Malaysia," he explained.
Razarudin mentioned that the suspect is also believed to have moved around frequently and stayed in two or three different hotels before being apprehended.
"At first, we received dubious public information about his movements before we tracked and acted to apprehend the suspect," he said.
When asked if the man in question is an Israeli agent, Razarudin said that investigations are still ongoing.
"We are investigating in that direction," he said briefly, adding that the suspect has been remanded since Wednesday until 31 March.
The police chief said the case has placed the Royal Malaysia Police on high alert.
"Given the situation in Palestine and Israel, we must exercise caution regarding security. This pertains to safeguarding His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and other dignitaries," he emphasized.
