PUTRAJAYA, April 17 — The Home Ministry (KDN) has deployed General Operations Force (PGA) personnel to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) as an enhanced security measure, in response to the recent shooting incident that left one individual critically injured.
During a press conference today, Loke said that the Cabinet was informed on the matter today, adding that Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) will also be having a meeting with Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) to discuss enhanced security measures at KLIA.
He also said that MAHB had given him a status report on the incident yesterday.
“So the Cabinet was informed that KDN has actually deployed PGA to patrol the airport.
“It is up to KDN. I am not in the position to comment whether this is a permanent or a long-term measure, but PGA has been deployed to conduct more patrols at the airport.
“Well, of course, they (MAHB) have given us the report and they will be in touch with the police to strengthen security measures at the airport. Of course, incidents like this, nobody expected it. I am sure MAHB will step up their security measures in order to ensure the safety and security of passengers,” Loke said.
He was responding to a question on whether he would be meeting MAHB officials following Sunday’s incident, and if they would be reprimanded, after Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director, Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain was reported saying that such an “untoward” incident was not the first to have occurred at a local airport.
In 2017, Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, was assassinated at KLIA, after having his face covered with a cloth saturated with the VX liquid, a lethal nerve agent.
MAHB presently operates and manages 39 airports in Malaysia, including KLIA, the primary international gateway of Malaysia, as well as KLIA 2.
Last month, The Edge reported that MAHB and the government had signed new operating and land lease agreements, extending the former’s concession to manage over three dozen airports in the country to February 11, 2069, from 2034 previously.
Loke added that security responsibilities also went beyond MAHB’s scope and involved collaboration with law enforcement agencies to ensure safety both within the airport and its surrounding areas.
“We have made it very clear. Number one, the security issues are not just under MAHB’s purview. They have their responsibility to provide aviation security at the airside.
“But in the airport vicinity, especially where the incident happened, that was actually in the arrival hall of the passengers where most people, members of the public, wait for passengers to come out. That is the area where the incident happened.
“Those areas are actually under the purview of the security forces as well, especially the police,” he added.
On April 14, a gunman threw firecrackers before opening fire at the arrival hall of KLIA Terminal 1 in Sepang, Selangor at about 1.30am.
The 37-year-old gunman Hafizul Harawi’s target was said to be his estranged wife, travel agent owner Farah Md Isa, who was waiting for the arrival of an umrah pilgrimage group.
One of the two bullets which were fired hit her personal bodyguard, Muhammad Nur Hadith, in the abdomen. The Star reported that he is in stable condition today, after undergoing surgery to repair his intestines at Cyberjaya Hospital.
Police are investigating Hafizul for attempted murder under Section 307 of the Penal Code and Section 8 of the Firearms Act 1960 for unlawful possession of a weapon.
