Cops zeroing in on riot mastermind

Keeping the peace: Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) members standing guard in front of the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Devasthanam Temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya.

PETALING JAYA: The police are zooming in on the possible mastermind behind the fracas at the Seafield Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in USJ 25, Subang Jaya, and its surrounding areas, said Comm Datuk Mazlan Mansor.

The Selangor police chief said the police had uncovered leads to the identity of the mastermind.

“Let us investigate first and track him down. We will also call up the housing developer to assist in investigations,” he said at a special press conference held at the state police headquarters yesterday.

Four more men have been arrested in connection with the incident, he added.

That brings the total number of people detained to 21 while a fireman was also injured in the line of duty.

“We are monitoring the situation minute by minute to ensure it does not worsen,” Comm Mazlan said.

He said that five more vehicles near the temple and at One City Mall were burnt on Monday night while a Fire and Rescue Department vehicle was also damaged by a group of people.

“Several groups of people also went to One City Mall, some 1km from the temple, and broke the building’s mirrors and other properties,” he said.

Comm Mazlan issued a stern warning to those responsible for the trouble to not make matters worse.

“We will identify and track down those who created trouble at the temple and One City Mall.”

He also urged people to stop issuing statements that would jeopar­dise public order.

“They should instead take actions that will remedy the situation,” he added.

Deputy IGP Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said that some 1,400 Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) members and traffic police personnel will be placed around the temple.

“We will impose a stricter control of the area to prevent further riots from happening.

“If there are any signs that groups intend to assemble, we will stop it before it gets out of hand,” he said this after launching a Road Safety Awareness campaign.

Bernama reported that Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the roads near the temple had not been closed as it would greatly inconvenience the public.

“However, we are considering having roadblocks there,” he said after presenting Pingat Jasa Pahlawan Negara to 252 officers and personnel at the Perak police headquarters yesterday.

On Monday night, Mohamad Fuzi said they deployed the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and the General Operations Force (GOF) to prevent anything untoward from occurring, but sadly the rioting brewed in pla­ces where policemen were not assigned.

The IGP called on all parties, including politicians, to get the real facts before issuing any statement on the incident.

“Those who are not connected to the incident should refrain from saying or taking action that could jeopardise public safety,” he said.