IGP SLAMS IRRESPONSIBLE COMMENTS
‘Cops take martyr comments seriously, to summon person who said it’
INSPECTOR-GENERAL of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador has slammed the actions of an individual who made irresponsible statements on the shooting incident in which police shot dead a man for slashing two colleagues in Penang recently.
Although he did not name the person, it is believed he was referring to the leader of a political party who was reported to have said in a political talk recently that the man had died a martyr.
Hamid said he viewed the statement as serious and had instructed police to open an investigation paper and call the individual in to give a statement.
“On the incident in Penang, there are still irresponsible people who are issuing their own statements, saying the person died a martyr.
“I view the matter seriously because if the man died a martyr, then how about my men who shot him, are they kafir (infidels)?” he said after the launch of the 2019 Royal Malaysia Police Innovation Day 2019 here yesterday.
He said such statements were not acceptable as they were recklessly made without considering the facts of the incident.
Hamid said the police had taken action in accordance with the law, otherwise, a worse tragedy could have occurred.
“I have already said before that the incident was not connected to what was said of it. The individual concerned had become extremist and radical as he was obsessed with violent videos on the social media.”
He advised the public, especially parents, to monitor the activities of their children who should not be watching too many violent videos on social media as they could be influenced and radicalised.
He had earlier issued a warning that stern action, including arrests, would be taken against irresponsible people for spreading articles about the incident which could cause racial tension in the country.
He confirmed that the suspect who was shot dead had been influenced by terrorist video clips from the Middle East.