BANGI: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has reiterated that no location in Malaysia serves or has served as a training base for Hamas, not even during his time as Home Minister.
He said that the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), especially the Special Branch, continuously monitors all security aspects at every level nationwide.
"There is absolutely no such base, let alone one for Hamas. This allegation was refuted by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) on Wednesday (Sept 24).
"We have a dedicated counter-terrorism monitoring unit under PDRM's Special Branch, known as E9.
"Even when I was the Home Minister, PDRM has always conducted such surveillance, and it is impossible for Malaysia to be used as a Hamas base," he told reporters after a working visit to Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) Malaysia France Institute (MFI) on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the police denied claims by former US Department of Treasury terrorism finance analyst Jonathan Schanzer that Malaysia was serving as a hub for Hamas operations.
IGP Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said the Palestinian struggle was an issue close to the hearts of Muslims in Malaysia, but the country continued to maintain good relations with the United States and other nations.
Schanzer, via his social media account, had alleged that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was not interested in peace between Palestine and Israel. - Bernama
