Two police officers were killed and one injured in Malaysia after a suspected member of the hardline Jemaah Islamiyah group stormed a police station in the town of Ulu Tiram in the state of Johor. The incident took place in the early hours of Friday morning while police officers were dealing with a couple who wanted to make a statement about a two-year-old incident. The suspect arrived at the station on a motorcycle armed with a machete and attacked the officers, seizing a revolver from one and shooting another officer before being shot dead by a third officer.
Investigators suspected that the attacker was planning to seize weapons for an unknown agenda. Police later raided the suspect’s house and found JI-related paraphernalia. Five members of his family, including his father who was identified as a known JI member, were arrested. The two people who were lodging the police report were also detained, along with other JI members in the state.
Jemaah Islamiyah is an al-Qaeda-affiliated group that aimed to establish a hardline Islamic state in Southeast Asia. At its peak in the 2000s, the group was responsible for deadly bombings, including the 2002 Bali attack that killed over 200 people. Malaysian leaders, such as Noordin Muhammad Top, played significant roles in the group’s activities. JI is banned in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
The incident has raised concerns about the presence of JI members in Malaysia and highlights the ongoing threat posed by extremist groups in the region. Authorities are working to prevent further attacks and apprehend those involved in terrorist activities.
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