Cult leader an enigmatic man

The man who led an unarmed group in a failed attempt to take over the national palace was described by his neighbours as a pious man with little tolerance for those who opposed his views.

KUALA LUMPUR: Hasbul Jalil Hassan, the leader of Kumpulan Panji Hitam Langkasuka Nusantara, who attempted to storm the King’s palace along with nine other members of his group on Monday morning is an enigma.

When FMT paid a visit to Hasbul’s residential area in Taman Melati today, a neighbour of his said Hasbul used to lead prayers at a nearby surau and was an active member in the community.

“He was a devote Muslim and an eerie man at the same time as he would not tolerate anyone who differed with his opinions,” said the neighbour who wished to remain anonymous.

“We spoke once in a while and he seemed friendly enough. He will regale us tales about his royal background and how he got accepted to be Imam Mahdi’s right hand man.

“His stories never made any sense but I would just listen to him,” said the neighbour, adding that he didn’t take too kindly to others who challenged his opinions. “No one here dared to question him.”

Another man who also declined to give his name, said the group gathered every night at Hasbul’s apartment unit prior to their arrest.

“All of them were dressed in black robes and it freaked me out because they would gather until midnight. I’m not sure what were they doing in the house. This was going on for the past five months.”

Neighbours shocked
A lady who lives at the same apartment block as Hasbul told FMT that she was concerned for her safety as the group had been meeting almost every night at his unit for the past five months.

“At first I thought it was just a normal meet up between friends but later on they came every night. Sometimes I could hear them praying (zikir) together… it was a bit scary,” she said.

The lady recalled that Hasbul once told another tenant that his group would take over the palace soon, claiming to be the rightful owners of the throne.

“We all passed it off as joke of a fanatical man. We were shocked when we read the news of their attempt to take over the palace,” she added.

Consisting of eight males and two females, including an 11-year-old child, the group was armed with nothing but black flags and paperwork when they attempted to take control of the throne.

Initial investigation showed that three out of seven men in the group had no legitimate documentation and everyone in the group came from different states such as Malacca, Perak, Kedah and Johor.  They have been remanded pending investigation.

Jakim: They have loyal followers

Hasbul and his group were arrested by the police early Monday morning after their failed attempt to enter palace grounds in Jalan Duta.

Yesterday KL CID chief Ku Chin Wah said the adults were being held at the Travers police station lock-up while the 11-year-old girl had been sent to a juvenile detention centre.

The case is being investigated under the Penal Code for intending to depose the King, and under the Peaceful Assembly Act for failing to give notice to assembly to the police.

Initial investigations revealed that the group had gathered at the palace at about 4.10am on Monday to replace the Yang di-Pertuan Agong with Hasbul, who claimed to be Tuanku Sultan Raja Merongmahawangsa ll @ Sultan Kedah Asli @ Yang di-Pertuan Agong Malaysia Asli @ Raja Nusantara @ Raja Utusan Allah Akhiruzaman Fasa 1 and Pewaris Sah Empayar Langkasuka Panji Hitam dari Timur.

In another development, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) said the group had been sharing information via social media.

It added that the deviant group had a small group of loyal followers.

“Looking at the latest development, this group is seen to be braver in trying to promote its ideology through its actions,” Jakim said.