Ulu Tiram police station attack: Cop-killer and family reclusive, lived like hermits, say villagers

JOHOR BAHRU: The man who stormed into the Ulu Tiram police station, killing two and injuring a third policeman before being shot dead, is said to be reclusive like his family, who lived in isolation from the other residents.

A Bernama check of the family’s house in Jalan Rabani in Kampung Sungai Tiram, which is located about seven kilometres from the police station, found that the house of the assailant, who was believed to be a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terrorist group, was in a fenced-off private area.

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It is estimated that there are about 10 other houses in the settlement. The location is close to Madrasah Luqmanul Hakim, which was a haunt for the leaders of the JI extremist group “once upon a time”.

One of the residents interviewed, Fauzi Faizal, 39, said the suspect, who is understood to have four siblings, did not go to school and was educated by his father, who is also a member of Jemaah Islamiyah.

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"It is believed that the siblings (of the suspect) also did not receive formal education and are schooled by their own father, possibly (indoctrinated) with extremist teachings,” said Fauzi, who is a native of the village.

Fauzi, who is also a Tiram Zone Johor Bahru City Council member, said the settlement is believed to have existed for more than 20 years and was inhabited by several other families.

He said people in the settlement also did not mingle with other villagers.

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"Residents are worried and shocked that the ‘killer’ resided in our midst, but we have confidence that the police will maintain order and prevent future incidents,” he said.

"The residents are worried, but I am confident police will take action to maintain peace and harmony in the village,” said Ulu Tiram village chief Shazrul Idham Abd Aziz, 41.

In the 2.45am ambush on the police station on Friday, three people were confirmed dead: two constables aged 22 and the 21-year-old attacker who was gunned down, while another policeman suffered injuries.

A raid was carried out on the assailant’s home in Ulu Tiram. It led to the arrest of five members of his family, aged from 19 to 62, while two students from higher learning institutions were also detained. – Bernama