Ulu Tiram attacker's family isolated themselves due to beliefs, says Home Minister

PUTRAJAYA: A police investigation has found that the family of the 21-year-old man behind the Ulu Tiram police station attack lived apart from society because they believed the surrounding community was made up of infidels.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said on Thursday (May 23) that the family did not mix with others as they believed only they were true Muslims, while others were infidels.

"They neither went to school nor prayed at a mosque as these were built by the government which they consider as the work of infidels. Such beliefs can bring terrible destruction to the country and the community," Saifuddin said.

"Muslims cannot do this to each other. This is why I have said that our focus should not only be on the perpetrator but also the purveyor. It is important we speak to the surrounding community to ascertain who the deceased suspect was," he added.

Speaking at a press conference at the Home Ministry after its monthly meeting, Saifuddin said that an investigation into the case is ongoing and added that police are "fine-tuning" the probe before deciding on the next course of action.

The Ulu Tiram police station attacker was shot dead by police after he killed two policemen and injured another on May 17.

Five of his family members, aged between 19 and 62, were arrested after police records revealed that his father had been previously involved with the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah. They remain in police custody for investigation.

Saifuddin then said that the three other cases that occurred soon after are not related to the Ulu Tiram case.

He was referring to the case of two men attempting to enter the Istana Negara grounds with a weapon, a man who tried to snatch a sub-machine gun from a policeman in Penang, and the Seputeh MP Teresa Kok receiving a death threat.

"In the case at the police station in Datuk Keramat (Penang), the suspect came to the police station drunk. An argument broke out, and the man then tried to snatch the firearm from the police," said Saifuddin.

He added that in the Istana Negara case, the suspect claimed that he was entering the Palace because he had a dream where he was ordered to meet the King.