Malaysia detains individual suspected of spying for Israel in Kuala Lumpur
Officials are investigating the 36-year-old individual from Israel, who entered the nation from the UAE using a counterfeit French passport and was apprehended with numerous handguns and a large quantity of live ammunition at a hotel
Malaysia detained an armed individual at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, as confirmed by the country’s chief police officer, who identified the 36-year-old as a suspected Israeli operative.
The individual, in possession of six handguns and 200 bullets, had flown into Kuala Lumpur International Airport from the United Arab Emirates on March 12 using an alleged forged French passport, revealed Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain during a late Friday press briefing.
Upon interrogation by the authorities, the suspect presented an Israeli passport, Razarudin disclosed.
The police are exploring the likelihood of the individual being linked to Israeli intelligence, despite the suspect’s claim that he had come to Malaysia to settle a family dispute with another Israeli citizen, Razarudin stated.
“We are skeptical of this explanation and suspect ulterior motives,” Razarudin remarked, noting that the detained individual had changed accommodations across various hotels during his stay in Malaysia.
Razarudin mentioned that the police were probing the origin of the firearms, which were allegedly acquired in Malaysia and paid for using cryptocurrency.
In the wake of the arrest, heightened security measures were implemented for Malaysia’s monarch, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and other prominent figures, Razarudin added.
Being a predominantly Muslim nation, Malaysia staunchly supports the Palestinian cause and has condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Despite lacking diplomatic relations with Israel, Malaysia hosts approximately 600 Palestinian refugees, as per the U.N. refugee agency.
In 2018, a Palestinian scientist was fatally shot in Kuala Lumpur by two unidentified assailants in an incident that Hamas hinted was orchestrated by Israel’s feared Mossad intelligence agency.
Source: AP
