Metropolis Desk-
Three persons have been seized by Malaysian authorities on suspicion of providing firearms to a 36-year-old man with an Israeli passport who was apprehended this week at a Kuala Lumpur hotel, police announced on Saturday.
At a press conference late on Friday, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said that the man had been arrested with a bag containing six handguns and 200 bullets. He had arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from the United Arab Emirates on March 12 using what the authorities thought to be a forged French passport.
After being questioned by police, the suspect produced an Israeli passport, Razarudin stated. He also mentioned that the individual, who is not yet publicly known, had ordered the weapons after coming to Malaysia and paid for them with cryptocurrencies.
An email request for comment was not immediately answered by the Israeli embassy in Singapore. Israel and Malaysia do not maintain diplomatic ties.
Police would not completely rule out the idea that the man was an Israeli intelligence agent, even though the suspect said he had come to Malaysia to look for another Israeli citizen because of a family conflict.
Razarudin added that the individual had stayed at other hotels during his visit to Malaysia, saying, “We do not fully trust this narrative as we suspect there may be another agenda.”
On suspicion of providing weapons and serving as the Israeli suspect’s driver, three Malaysians, including a married couple, were detained on Friday and placed under seven days of custody, Razarudin told Reuters on Saturday.
He added that a pistol had been found in the couple’s automobile. Following the man’s arrest, authorities have increased their degree of alertness, stepping up security for Malaysia’s king, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and other prominent individuals.
Malaysia, which has a large Muslim population, has denounced Israel’s actions in the Gaza War and is a fervent backer of the Palestinians. About 600 Palestinian refugees reside in Malaysia, according to the UN refugee agency.
In 2018, two unidentified men shot and killed a Palestinian scientist in the capital of Malaysia. The Hamas militant group claimed that Israel’s Mossad spy agency was responsible for the death. Israel refuted the accusations.
Source- BBC News
