Up to police to investigate gun incident, says Anwar
Lisa J. Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will leave it to the authorities to investigate claims that his bodyguard drew a firearm and pointed it at Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters in Kampung Baru Rim, Malacca yesterday.
The opposition leader said today he will leave it to police to “establish whether the security behaved in self-defence and according to SOP (standard operating procedures)”.
“Whether he did it in self-defence or followed SOP that is for the police to investigate. They (the bodyguards) all have permits anyway,” he told reporters today during Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar’s Hari Raya open house here.
Anwar had claimed that the bus, in which he was travelling for PKR’s Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat programme, was attacked by a group he believed to be Umno Youth members.
Plainclothes policemen detained the 37-year-old bodyguard at the scene when the incident took place at 3.15pm. Police and Special Branch officers were there to observe the event.
Local media reports said the bus in which Anwar was travelling was stopped by some youth who wanted to prevent them from entering the venue for the programme. The bodyguard alighted from a car near the bus and pointed the firearm at the youth.
Anwar said it was deplorable that none of the youth who attacked his bus were arrested.
“The fact that none of the Umno fellas were arrested is shocking,” he said.
“This shows how incompetent and how irresponsible Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the Home Minister (Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein) are,” he said.
“These hooligans are supported by Najib and (Hishammuddin),” he claimed.
Anwar then said he had video and photographic evidence of the group attacking his entourage.
At least four police reports were lodged by members of Jasin Umno Youth and the Belia 4B movement over the incident.
State police chief Datuk Chuah Ghee Lye said the bodyguard has been detained for questioning.
“Let us investigate the matter first as it is still premature to determine if the man had actually pointed the weapon at the public, or he was just brandishing it as an act of protecting someone. He could have taken out the gun and accidentally showed it to the people gathered there,” he was quoted as saying by the New Sunday Times.
