SEBERANG PERAI, Oct 10 — Living in a crowded flat where units are close together can sometimes be a challenge when one does not get along with their neighbours but in the case of Taman Pandan flat, it angered a man to the point of setting off a homemade bomb to scare his neighbour.

The 32-year-old factory worker took it upon himself to learn how to construct an improvised explosive device (IED) by watching YouTube.

He then bought the parts from online stores before constructing the IED on his own.

Northern Seberang Perai district police chief ACP Mohd Asri Shafie said the man had acted alone to make the IED before he set it off in front of his neighbour’s unit.

"Initial investigations showed that he was angry with his neighbour as he claimed the elderly man often makes fun of him so he decided to set off the bomb to scare him and as a warning to him,” he told Malay Mail here.

He said the suspect placed the IED in front of the neighbour’s unit on the fourth floor of the flat in Mak Mandin before setting it off at around 12.57pm on Sunday afternoon.

The explosion damaged the corridor and the grille door of the unit but no one was hurt in the incident.

Following the explosion, the man and his female Indonesian housemate were detained to assist in investigations into the incident.

"We are now conducting further investigations into the suspect to find out if he is involved in other crimes,” he said.

He said police had also seized another IED, a pistol, homemade bullets and sickle-shaped knife after detaining the suspect.

He said a team from Bukit Aman is also here to conduct an investigation into the case and to look into the suspect’s background.

"We will look into the level of his skills in constructing an IED and whether it was for other crimes or for sale to others,” he said.

Initial investigations revealed that the suspect was not part of any crime syndicates and the police are also investigating his 38-year-old female housemate.