Hundreds of shoppers were evacuated from a shopping centre in Johor Baru this evening following a bomb threat that came via a phone call to its management.
When contacted, Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat confirmed ongoing operations at Mid Valley Southkey, involving about 100 officers including a bomb disposal team.
"Police are still sweeping the area. So far the ground floor and parking lots have all been checked and nothing was found.
"Within the building, we were only able to check areas that were not closed. For those that have closed, we need cooperation from the lot owners.
"Nothing has been found. There are no explosives,” Kamarul Zaman told Malaysiakini at around 9.30pm.
He added that the district police chief would reveal more information after the operation ends.
The mall at Mid Valley Southkey contains 2.5 million sq ft of retail area, with 260 retail outlets on six floors.
On Facebook, the mall's management confirmed that it had received a "security threat" via an anonymous phone call, which was immediately reported to the authorities.
"We can confirm that investigations by the relevant authorities are ongoing and we are assisting them.
"We were instructed by the authorities to evacuate the affected areas as a proactive measure," it said in a statement.
Aside from shoppers, the management said it had also assisted in the evacuation of guests and staff at the adjacent St Giles Hotel Southkey.
Separately, the Singapore Consulate General in Johor Baru issued an advisory for its citizens in the vicinity of the incident to exercise extra precaution. - Mkini
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