Hamas mourns for Palestinian scientist "assassinated" in Setapak

PETALING JAYA: Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement, has announced that a Palestinian scientist who was killed in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday was a member of the organisation.

Dr Fadi Al-Batsh, 35, was walking to a nearby mosque some 300m from his home at Idaman Puteri Condominium in Medan Idaman, Setapak at about 6am on Saturday (April 21) when two gunmen on a motorbike shot him dead.

Hamas is calling the killing an "assassination", but did not put the blame on any specific party in their statement on Saturday.

"The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas mourns the death of the Palestinian scientist Fadi Al-Batsh, who was assassinated on his way to perform the dawn prayer in a mosque in Kuala Lumpur," said Hamas.

The organisation said that Al-Batsh was originally from the Jabalia refugee camp, north of the Gaza Strip.

"He was known for his scientific innovation as he has attended many international conferences on energy in Japan, UK and Finland," said Hamas.

"He was planning to chair another conference on energy in Turkey," they said.

Hamas said that Al-Batsh had contributed to the development of Malaysia's energy sector.

"He invented and developed several technical sets and minerals used in generating electricity," said Hamas.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim said police believed it was not a random shooting.

He said that two men wearing full-face helmets and riding a high-powered BMW motorcycle, waited for 20 minutes in the darkness of dawn near Jalan Meranti in Setapak, before firing more than 10 shots at a Palestinian lecturer, killing him on the spot.

"Initial investigations revealed that only one of them shot the victim, but it is still too early to conclude (matters)," he said when met at the scene of the crime.

He added that police have collected two bullet slugs from the crime scene so far.

"We will collect CCTV footage from other premises in the area as well.

"We have contacted the family members and the private college, where he worked at. If new relevant leads emerge, we will definitely pursue them," he said adding that, the body was sent to Selayang Hospital for post-mortem.

It is learnt that the victim has been in Malaysia with his wife and three children for about 10 years and he is well known among the community.

Asked whether the shooting was related to the Islamic State (IS) terror group or a grudge, Comm Mazlan said it was still to early to tell.

"We are exploring all angles and the Kuala Lumpur CID chief will be leading the team investigating this murder," he said.

Al-Batsh's father told Al Jazeera that he accuses Israel's intelligence agency Mossad of being behind his son's killing and called on the Malaysian authorities to look into who carried out the "assassination" as soon as possible.