KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 20 — Shahril Sufian Hamdan, Umno's information chief, said the allegation that "Mossad operatives" could be responsible for the botched abduction of Palestinians said to be linked to Hamas here last month is a serious security issue that should not be politicised.
The caution came after political party supporters began hurling accusations at their rivals on social media platforms just hours after a local newspaper reported the news.
"Mossad claims are serious if true, and shouldn't be politicised when we don't have the full facts," Shahril said in a brief text message to Malay Mail today.
"[We] should respect police requests for them to investigate the claims and take necessary action. If the perpetrators happen to be supporters of one party or another, that's not something we should use for political purposes. This is a serious security matter not a political football," he added.
Eleven people, including a woman, were charged at the Magistrates’ Court here last Friday with abducting a Palestinian national, Omar ZM Albelbaisy, in what appeared to be a botched and clumsy operation that eventually led to their arrests.
The newspaper that first reported the abduction claimed the 11 are operatives recruited and trained by Mossad.
The Palestinian and his friend were said to be targeted because of their link to Hamas, the party now ruling the occupied Gaza Strip.
Just hours after the news surfaced, photos of the person alleged to be running an “Israeli spy ring” in the country were shared by pro-Umno and Barisan Nasional supporters.
The photos of a woman, said to be a supporter or member of PKR, and her husband, were spread just hours after news about the botched operation surfaced.
But Fahmi Fadzil, PKR’s information chief, has strongly denied that the people in the photos are members of the party.
Shahril urged political parties to refrain from exploiting the issue.
"If it is true a foreign entity used locals in kidnapping operations for their purposes in broad daylight in the heart of our capital, there are bigger issues than political point scoring," he said.
"Again, this is a question of ‘if’ since the police haven't confirmed it. What the appropriate response should be if the claims of Mossad involvement is true, we should leave to the experts in the security services. I wish the Palestinians well."
