PETALING JAYA, July 6 — The Movida Kitchen, Bar and Club Lounge in Puchong was not the target of local Islamic State (IS) militants who carried out a hand grenade attack there on June 28.
Bukit Aman Special Branch director Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun told Malay Mail Afternoon E-Paper yesterday that Movida was not the initial target as the militants had planned to carry out the attack at a more popular entertainment outlet in the heart of the city.
“Police had received information on the militants’ plans and we took all measures to thwart the attack,” he said.
“Policemen were on standby around the targeted areas in the city and security was heightened, so the suspects had no choice but to carry out the attack at another location.”
Fuzi said police believed that on the day of the attack, the suspects went to other locations but did not carry out their plan as most of the entertainment outlets closed early.
“They picked Movida because there was still a crowd there at that time. The security at the bar and the surrounding area was poor,” he said.
Fuzi said the 15 militants arrested following the incident included two policemen who were being monitored by police.
“We knew they were IS sympathisers and the swift arrest after the attack was made possible because we had them in our files,” he said.
He expressed confidence the two suspects on the run would be nabbed soon.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar yesterday reiterated his proposals to the government to place all entertainment outlets in one area for security reasons.
“Clubs and pubs are everywhere. It is hard for us to keep an eye on each one of them. If they were gathered in one area, it would be easier for us to carry out our duties and prevent such incidents,” he said.
Khalid also urged entertainment outlet owners to abide by the rules to close on time.
“Terrorist are more likely to zero in on night clubs and bars which open until the wee hours,” he said.
Eight people were injured after a hand grenade was tossed onto the front porch of Movida, where a group of 20 people had gathered to watch a Euro 2016 football telecast, while a couple was there to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
Police had initially thought the motive could be business rivalry or the attack was targeted at a particular individual.
On Monday, police disclosed the attack was the first IS strike in Malaysia. This was following the arrest of 15 suspected militants in a police crackdown in the Klang Valley and northern states, which began days after the incident and continued until last weekend. Those detained were aged between 19 and 52.
The attack was carried out following instructions by the mastermind, identified as Muhammad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi, who remains at large in Syria.
