Local IS fighter claims Movida bombing is ‘first attack on Malaysian soil’

The Movida bar is pictured after a grenade attack in Puchong, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia June 28, 2016. - REUTERS/ FILEPIC

PETALING JAYA: In the hours after the bombing at the Movida nightclub in Puchong last week, a Malaysian militant believed to be fighting in Syria wrote a chilling message on Facebook claiming “the first successful Islamic State attack on Malaysian soil”.

“Two soldiers of the caliphate in Malaysia have launched the first attack in the heart of the country, which is Kuala Lumpur, by targeting a nightclub filled with infidels using a grenade,” said the post associated with the account of one Abu Hamzah Al-Fateh.

Checks showed that the post and the account are no longer publicly available.

In a screenshot of his post, Abu Hamzah accused the nightclub of not respecting the month of Ramadan by carrying out immoral activities, urging Muslims to stay away from such places so that they would not become targets.

It was reported that the nightclub’s patrons were watching a Euro 2016 football match when the incident occurred.

Immediately after last Tuesday’s incident which had left eight people injured, police had discounted the possibility that it was a terror attack.

However, after week-long investigations, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar confirmed Monday that the bombing was the first IS-linked attack in Malaysia.

He told reporters here that the attack was carried out by locals under the direct command of IS member Muhamad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi from Syria.

Khalid said 15 people had been arrested between June 28 and July 1 in connection with the attack, including the two individuals who allegedly threw the hand-grenade that caused the explosion.