PUTRAJAYA, Jan 10 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution has today urged the public to refrain from making any assumptions or drawing preliminary conclusions regarding the recent arson attack on the residence of Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham.
He also said that further investigations are being carried out by the police and forensic teams to identify the motives behind the attack and the suspects involved in the incident.
“So in carrying out the investigation with reference to the Molotov cocktail incident, we will look at all the causes such as motive, tracking down the perpetrators, closed circuit television (CCTV) recordings near the incident area and interviewing witnesses. That is all a process that I believe the police is professional enough to do.
“The investigation is conducted under the classification of Section 435 of the Penal Code, treachery by fire,” he told reporters during a news conference here, today.
Section 435 of the Penal Code carries a maximum of 14 years imprisonment and a fine, if found guilty.
He added that the affected vehicles include a fully burnt black Mercedes-Benz, a silver Honda CR-V that sustained 30 per cent damage, and a silver Toyota Hilux also with 30 per cent damage to its front.
He confirmed that no casualties were reported in the incident.
“Remember that reckless actions without considering the legal dues is an offence that, if convicted, can be severely punished,” he said.
Earlier, the Perak Fire and Rescue Department confirmed that a fire had broken out at Ngeh’s house early this morning.
A spokesman from the department said that the incident occurred at around 3am, and that there were no casualties, but three cars and the ceiling of the porch and the garage roof were damaged in the incident.
When asked if an act of arson had caused the fire, the spokesman said that the authorities are still investigating the matter.
Ngeh recently caused controversy by suggesting non-Muslims be included in a special committee on Shariah law, but later withdrew his comments.
