LAHAD DATU, March 31 — The authorities will take action against several more individuals linked to the arrest of an Israeli man with six guns at a hotel along Jalan Ampang this week.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the police have established several more names, and action will be taken against them.
“We have recovered all the weapons he possessed, and all that remains is for the police to announce the arrest of several others involved. There will be further police monitoring after interrogations found that more individuals are believed to be involved.
“So at this stage, I believe we will leave it to the discretion of the police to establish whether the (Israeli) man came here for the reasons stated or not,” he said
Saifuddin was speaking to the press after a Ramadan programme in conjunction with the 11th anniversary of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) yesterday.
On Friday (March 29), it was reported that the police arrested a 36-year-old Israeli with six guns and 200 rounds of ammunition at a hotel along Jalan Ampang on Wednesday (March 27).
“Give the police some space; this is their work. For now, all parties, including the public, must avoid making speculations.
“I am confident in the progress of the police investigation because they traced the Israeli, who used a French passport and had the weapons, within 48 hours,” he said.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said ESSCom, now entering its 11th year, has witnessed outstanding achievements, like the cessation of kidnappings for ransom, which has not occurred since 2020.
“This security threat has significantly decreased with ESSCom’s presence…all statistics show that Sabah’s East Coast has the potential to be an attractive tourist destination.
“A few months ago, I chaired the Security Border Committee meeting, and the tourism sector described how tourist arrivals are on the rise,” he said.
The progress has been aided by changes in coordination strategies, including categorising the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESS Zone) not as a lockdown area but as a movement control order (MCO) area.
During yesterday’s event, the minister also presented food baskets and duit Raya to 25 disabled individuals and 19 orphans, all of whom are children of security personnel in Lahad Datu.
— Bernama
