PETALING JAYA: The two policemen killed in an attack on the Ulu Tiram police station in Johor Bahru early this morning had only joined the force less than two years ago.
Constables Ahmad Azza Fahmi Azhar and Syafiq Ahmad Said were part of the Ulu Tiram station’s crime prevention patrol unit, according to the police.
“Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain and his deputy, Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, and the rest of the force convey our condolences to the families.
“May their souls be blessed with grace and placed among the righteous,” the police force said in a Facebook post.
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Police later recovered a Walther P99 pistol and a HK MP5 rifle from the dead suspect.
Razarudin said the suspect was in his 30s and believed to have been a member of the Southeast Asian extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah. Five of his family members, aged between 19 and 52, have been arrested to assist in the investigation into the attack.
Razarudin also said police had identified over 20 Jemaah Islamiyah members currently in Johor following today’s attack.
Jemaah Islamiyah was behind the 2002 bomb attacks in Bali that killed over 200 people. More bombings targeted the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta in 2009.
Its members reportedly received military training in Afghanistan during the 1990s, and the group is alleged to have ties with Al-Qaeda.
Meanwhile, government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil also conveyed his condolences to the families of Azza and Syafiq, while urging the public against speculating on the incident.
He also reminded the public to refer only to official statements made by the police.
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