KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 18 — The Kuala Terengganu court complex in Terengganu was vacated earlier today after police received a bomb threat, Sinar Harian reported this afternoon.
Kuala Terengganu district deputy police chief Superintendent Wan Mohd Zaki Wan Ismail told the news outlet that a call was received at 7.20am about a mystery package left in front of the court complex gate.
He said officers from the Criminal Investigation Division and the Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) in Kuala Terengganu rushed to the scene immediately after the call.
“Police also conducted an inspection at the court complex. No other threats were found in the area,” he was quoted as saying.
Kakitangan Mahkamah Kuala Terengganu digemparkan dengan ancaman dipercayai bom.https://t.co/iJqepsSBPH“Malaysia MADANI : Tekad Perpaduan Penuhi Harapan”'Yang sahih di Berita RTM'#RTM #BeritaRTM #MalaysiaMadani pic.twitter.com/3PwdU6tnvP
— Berita RTM (@beritartm) January 18, 2024
According to the newspaper, Wan Mohd Zaki did not provide further information about the package contents.
Citing unnamed sources, Sinar Harian reported that the BDU found a piece of paper with the words “the first warning” that was wrapped together with the mystery package in front of the court complex gate.
Further examination revealed a torchlight inside the wrapping, which was subsequently disposed of by the BDU.
Sinar Harian reported that some areas of the court complex were off limits to the public until 12.45pm.
The last bomb scare in Malaysia happened last November when dozens of schools across the country, both public and private, reported receiving anonymous calls about explosives planted in their premises.
The last reported bomb threat in court was on July 25, 2019 at the Kuala Lumpur court complex, which handles the largest number of cases, and disrupted a high-profile hearing of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s then ongoing trial for the misappropriation of RM42 million belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of state-owned 1MDB.
Local news outlets back then reported that dozens of people were evacuated from the massive complex at about 12.30pm as soon as the threat was received.
Sentul police chief Assistant Commissioner S. Shanmugamoorthy told reporters that the Taman Tun Dr Ismail police station received an anonymous phone call from a man at about 11am who claimed that “a bomb was in court”.
Police swept the entire area but found no explosives as claimed.
