KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 — Federal police today announced the arrest of an Israeli man, including the seizure of several firearms, claiming to have entered the country to assassinate a fellow countryman.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the arrest against the 36-year-old suspect was made on March 27, two weeks after the suspect entered Malaysia through the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 12.
He added the suspect, who entered as a tourist, was detained at a hotel in Jalan Ampang.
“Interrogation against the suspect revealed that he had entered Malaysia using a French passport and upon further questioning, he produced an Israeli passport.
“The suspect claims to have entered Malaysia to seek out another countryman to kill, but we are not buying his story,” he told a press conference here.
Following the arrest, Razaruddin stressed on ensuring the safety of key figures in Malaysia such as the prime minister and His Majesty the King as investigators remain unconvinced by the suspect’s admission.
“The suspect claims to have entered Malaysia to seek out another countryman to kill over a family dispute, but we are not buying his story,” he told a press conference here.
Following the arrest, Razarudin stressed on ensuring the safety of key figures in Malaysia such as the prime minister and His Majesty the King as investigators remain unconvinced by the suspect’s admission and were inclined to believe the possibility of another agenda.
“What is worrisome here is that the arrest took place [at a time] during the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict, and we are vigilant of the safety of the PM, the King and other VVIPs whose safety we must take into consideration,” he said.
On the seized firearms including ammunition, Razarudin said they were purchased by the suspect using cryptocurrency and investigations are ongoing to identify the payment's recipient.
"The suspect claims to have purchased them upon his arrival here, and I can attest to it because he was on a flight from the United Arab Emirates which has stringent security checks.
"We believe the suspect was not acting alone and has a local contact here which we have yet to ascertain their identity," he said, adding that the police were also seeking out the French embassy for assistance as well.
When asked if the police were not ruling out the possibility of the suspect's affiliation with Israeli intelligence, Razarudin said ongoing investigations were also leaning towards that aspect.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has been vocal in his condemnation of Israel’s atrocities towards Palestine, and last year the police said they have beefed up security for the prime minister due to the matter.
