THE lone suspect who was shot dead by police during his attack on the Ulu Tiram police station was a 34-year-old Malaysian who was acting alone, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

“Based on interrogation of over 40 individuals and checks on the suspect’s house, the man was acting as a lone wolf.

“Police investigation started right after the incident, without delays, including checking profiles or police databases on similar incidents.

“As such, we have called a total of 46 individuals for interrogations to assist in the investigation.

“Based on early investigation, we found that the perpetrator acted alone. This is a lone-wolf attack,” he told a press conference at the Johor police headquarters here.

In the 2.45am ambush on the police station on Friday, three people were confirmed dead: two constables aged 22 and the 34-year-old attacker who was gunned down, while another policeman suffered injuries.

A raid was carried out on the assailant’s home in Ulu Tiram. It led to the arrest of five members of his family, aged from 19 to 62, while two students from higher learning institutions were also detained.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the man is believed to have been a member of Jemaah Islamiyah.

Jemaah Islamiyah was an Indonesia-based militant group dedicated to the establishment of an Islamic state in Southeast Asia. It was founded by Muslim preacher Abu Bakar Bashir in the early 1990s.

The group was linked to al-Qaeda and was responsible for the 2002 Bali bombing. – May 18, 2024.