A MAN who was detained over a fiery Molotov cocktail attack on the home of Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham has had his remand extended for another day. Magistrate Nurul Izalina Rajaai allowed the man in his 30s to be remanded for an additional day to help further in the investigation. The suspect, aged in his 30s, was arrested on January 12 and remanded for five days until today, to assist the investigation under Section 435 of the Penal Code.
Earlier today, the suspect wearing an orange lockup shirt arrived at the Seri Manjung magistrates’ court at 8.50am in a police truck before being taken away 40 minutes later. In the incident at about 2.55am last Wednesday, a Mercedez Benz car belonging to Ngeh was destroyed at his house at Ayer Tawar town in Perak.
In addition, a Honda CRV and a Toyota Hilux were also damaged in a fire at his residence in Lorong Semarak Jaya, Taman Semarak Jaya, after a Molotov cocktail was hurled at the premises. Police have not ruled out the possibility that the fire occurred as a result of deliberate arson, following the discovery of the remains of a bottle used as an explosive.
The porch of the house had also caught fire. No one was injured in the incident. Firefighters managed to douse the flames soon after they arrived.
At a press conference after the attack, Ngeh had revealed that he had not installed a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system at his house. However, police investigators had ventured to collect CCTV footage from other buildings in the vicinity while getting technical assistance and statements from witnesses to identify a suspect or suspects.
Ngeh also pointed to parties who had “manipulated” a statement he had made on December 28 by falsely giving a picture that he was interfering in Muslim affairs and even claiming that he was anti-Islamic. He suggested that the attacker may have been influenced by such rhetoric.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain had reportedly said that police are looking at various angles in their investigation into the alleged arson attack, including collecting intelligence information from the Special Branch and public tip-offs. – The Vibes, January 16, 2024
