Hoax bomb threat at Wisma Bernama

Police confirmed that the package with a threat note found under the tree near the parking lot of Wisma Bernama at Jalan 1/65 A, Off Jalan Tun Razak in Kuala Lumpur today, was not a bomb.

Wangsa Maju district police chief Mohamad Roy Suhaimi Sarif said inspection conducted by the bomb squad from the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters found that the package wrapped in a batik cloth contained a bottle of cooking oil.

When contacted tonight and asked whether the package was a bomb, he briefly replied: "Negative."

The squad arrived at the scene with the canine (K9) unit at 7pm after receiving the distress call from Bernama security unit.

At 7.30pm, two of the dogs from the K9 unit were taken to the location, but showed no reaction which implied that the package might contain a bomb.

At 8.03pm, the bomb squad set off a small explosion to destroy the package.

Earlier, a staff of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) was shocked when she stumbled upon the package with the threat note against two government agencies near the parking lot.

Meanwhile, Bernama senior security guard Azahar Fathal, 49, said he went to check it out after being alerted about the package by a cleaning staff at 4.50pm.

"I found a package wrapped in batik cloth and a threat note placed under a tree near the parking lot of Wisma Bernama," he said.

Azahar said that he also checked the footage from the closed-circuit television cameras to detect any peculiar movement along Jalan 1/65 A before lodging a police report and alerted the fire and rescue department.

Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department head of operation centre Samsol Maarif Saibani, when contacted, said that six firefighters from the Titiwangsa fire and rescue station were rushed to the scene after being alerted at 5.33pm.

- Bernama