JOHOR BARU: The firearms used in the recent shooting incidents were believed to have been smuggled in from neighbouring countries, said Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed (pic).
He said the firearms were smuggled in by groups to be used for criminal activities.
“In all of the cases, the firearms used were unlicensed and were smuggled in from neighbouring countries,” he said after launching a marathon at SJKC Kempas Baru here yesterday.
Nur Jazlan said firearm licences must be approved by the Inspector-General of Police.
He said, in an effort to reduce serious crimes, the authorities would strengthen their efforts to cripple the activities of those smuggling firearms into the country.
Similarly, he added that the authorities would continue to closely monitor activities believed to be related to terrorist groups through intelligence gathering.
“This is to avoid unwanted incidents from happening in the country.
“Besides gathering intelligence, the Government is also using information technology and social media especially Facebook to identify networking used by terrorists to communicate,” he said, adding that it was difficult to predict terrorists’ moves due to their violent ways.
He cited the recent attack in the southern city of Nice in France where a man rammed a truck into a pool of people celebrating Bastille Day, killing many as an example of unpredictable moves by terrorists.
Nur Jazlan urged people to be alert and report any suspicious activities to the authorities.
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