KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 — Action will be taken against anyone spreading seditious messages on social media following the recent incident in Penang where a man who ran amok had killed his colleague and was in turn shot and killed by the police.
Speaking at a press conference today, Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said that irresponsible parties who are attempting to fan racial and religious tension have uploaded defamatory articles regarding the tragedy.
“Recent developments have seen a few cases going viral on social media and there are irresponsible parties uploading seditious articles that can trigger misunderstanding and cause upset which could lead to physical violence.
“We want to give a message that the police are taking active action. The Criminal Investigation Department has already identified the irresponsible parties. A police report has already been lodged and we will call these people in to give their statements.
“Once we are satisfied with their statements, we will proceed to arrest and charge them,” said Abdul Hamid.
On September 23, a 25-year-old Malay quality control inspector with a multinational factory had attacked two of his colleagues.
One of them, a 48-year-old Indian woman, was slashed on her head, neck and arms before the factory’s safety director heard the commotion and tried to intervene.
The 53-year-old safety director was also slashed on his arms before the police arrived.
Tragically, the Indian woman succumbed to her injuries at around 8pm at the Penang Hospital.
Abdul Hamid added that police investigations have found that the late suspect was heavily influenced by violent videos from the Middle East that showed Muslims being violently persecuted.
“The incident in Penang is an isolated incident. The attacker came from a good family. Our investigations revealed that he was influenced by violent videos on social media that came from the Middle East and had nothing to do with our country.
“So when there are irresponsible individuals exploiting this issue, we will not stand by and we will take action,” said Abdul Hamid.
He also warned the public from making unverified comments on social media regarding the Batu Arang shootout which saw three men killed and a woman missing.
The top cop said one of his officers had already lodged a report on the matter.
“I have said if you have any evidence, file a statement or wait for an inquest,” said Abdul Hamid.
