Malaysia arrests heavily-armed man suspected of spying for Israel

The Malaysian police have arrested a heavily-armed man on suspicion of spying for Israel, amid the Muslim-majority country’s staunch support for Palestinians against the war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Malaysian Police Inspector-General Razarudin Husain said at a press conference late Friday that the 36-year-old man was apprehended with a cache of handguns and ammunition at a Kuala Lumpur hotel earlier this week.

Husain said the suspect, who was found carrying six handguns and 200 bullets, had arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from the United Arab Emirates on March 12 using what authorities reported to be a fake French passport.

“He entered Malaysia on March 12 using a French passport, was arrested on March 27 and will be remanded until March 31 for further investigation,” the top police official told reporters without naming the suspect. “During the probe, he handed us his Israeli passport.” 

Husain said police were investigating the possibility that the man could be a member of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, though the suspect claimed to have entered Malaysia to hunt down another Israeli due to a family dispute.

“However, we do not fully trust this narrative as we suspect there may be another agenda,” Husain said, adding that the detained man had moved between several hotels during his time in Malaysia.

Stressing that three of the handguns were loaded and ready to fire, Husain said police did not think the suspect was working alone. “He probably has his network and contact here who we have yet to identify.”

The top Malaysian police official said investigations were underway to find how the suspect had obtained the weapons, which were purchased in Malaysia and paid for with cryptocurrency.

Authorities were on high alert following the arrest, with security beefed up for Malaysia’s king, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other high-level figures, he added.

Hundreds rally in solidarity for Palestinians in Malaysia's city center

Hundreds of pro-Palestinian Malaysians rallied in Kuala Lumpur to show solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The Malaysian premier has been a vocal critic of Israel since the regime launched its onslaught on Gaza in October last year. Pro-Palestine Malaysians have also staged mass rallies in the Muslim-majority country’s capital and major cities in support of Gazans.

Ibrahim has on several occasions stated that Malaysia views Israel’s occupation of Gaza “as illegal under international law and norms.”

Malaysia, which has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel, imposed a docking ban on Israeli-owned ships from entering the Southeast Asian country in December following the regime’s ground invasion of Gaza.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for the regime’s intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people. 

The regime has also cut off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Israel has killed more than 32,500 Palestinians and injured nearly 75,000 others in Gaza since the begining of its genocidal war on the besieged territory.

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