NOW EVEN THE POLICE SAY IT – SO UMNO & PAS SHOULD STOP PLAYING ‘VICTIM’: FANNING RACE & RELIGIOUS ISSUES CAN LEAD TO TERROR ATTACKS – SPECIAL BRANCH DIRECTOR IN WAKE OF NZ MOSQUE MASSACRE

Police today warned Malaysians against playing issues of race and religion, saying that it could be used by terrorists as a justification to launch attacks.

“I would like to emphasise how religious and racial issues were exploited to justify terrorist attacks,” Bukit Aman’s Special Branch Counter Terrorism (E8) director Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay (photo, above) said.

“That is why I want to stress that no quarters in Malaysia should exploit the issues of religion, race, the special privileges and royal institution.

“It can be used as justification for attacks and we have seen this in the Islamic State suspects we have arrested.

“There were attempts to launch attacks following the playing of racial and religious issues,” he told journalists at a national unity event in Kuala Lumpur today.

Ayob since 2013, police have foiled 24 attempts by IS elements to launch attacks in Malaysia.

He was commenting on the mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, yesterday, which have claimed at least 49 lives and left scores injured.

Ayob said the incident highlighted the need to be tough against foreign elements. He pointed out that the attacker was an Australian citizen.

“The suspect was Australian but why did he slip into New Zealand to carry out attacks there?

“In this context, the police emphasise on the need to be tough against foreign elements. We do not want Malaysia to become a base (for terror attacks).

“The Christchurch incident was a good example where a foreigner carried out an attack in New Zealand,” he said.

mkini