Shooting drama at the airport

On alert: Police tightening security at KLIA following the shooting yesterday morning. — Bernama

SEPANG: Travellers scrambled for cover and cowered behind pillars at the KL International Airport (KLIA) after a man fired a gun at his estranged wife.

The incident during the wee hours of the morning at the airport’s arrival hall saw the wife’s personal bodyguard stepping in to save her life and taking a hit.

The woman, a travel agency owner, had been waiting for the return of her clients from an umrah trip at around 1.20am yesterday when suddenly, there was a huge bang as a firecracker was thrown in her direction, injuring two passers-by.

The target: The woman known as Farah Cie.

Two shots were then fired at the woman at close range, with one bullet missing its mark and the other wounding the bodyguard in his abdomen. The shooter then fled to his car at Block C of the airport’s carpark.

A video of the aftermath of the shooting showed people shouting as the person recording the scene hid behind a pillar.

“Semua orang takut, ada pistol (Everybody is scared. There’s a gun),” a woman was heard saying off camera in the video uploaded on social media.

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Another video showed airport personnel wheeling out an injured man on a stretcher through the airport’s main lobby. The bodyguard is in critical condition.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain later said police were looking for 38-year-old Hafizul Harawi, who has had several run-ins with the law.

The suspect, according to the police, is a partner in the travel agency.

“The victim (his wife) had lodged two reports for criminal intimidation, the latest in December. Based on that report, the suspect was arrested.

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“We’ve submitted the investigation paper (to the deputy public prosecutor) but were given additional instructions. Because of that incident, the target (of yesterday’s shooting) hired bodyguards,” he told reporters at KLIA yesterday.

Police had also previously investigated the suspect for theft and impersonating a public officer, added Comm Mohd Shuhaily.

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Explaining the earlier events, the suspect, he said, had parked his vehicle at Level Two of the Block C parking lot and made his way to the arrival hall.

“He then lit a firecracker which injured two people before firing multiple shots towards his wife. One of the bullets struck the bodyguard in his stomach. “The suspect then ran off to his vehicle. He is believed to be heading north.

“The bodyguard was rushed to hospital and has been placed in a medically-induced coma. He is in critical condition,” Comm Mohd Shuhaily said, commending the bodyguard.

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At the time of the shooting, there were no more than 30 people in the vicinity, he said, adding that statements were being recorded from witnesses.

According to police investigations, the couple are in the midst of a divorce.

The intended victim, who goes by Farah Cie on social media and is active as an influencer on Facebook and Instagram, confirmed the shooting but declined to comment further following “advice from lawyers”.

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Earlier, in an immediate statement following the shooting, Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan had assured the public that the attack had nothing to do with terrorism.

“This incident is unrelated to terrorist activities or groups and originated from a personal issue. The situation at KLIA is secure and under control,” he said.

The case is being investigated as an attempted murder under Section 307 of the Penal Code and Section 8 of the Arms Act 1960.