LAHAD DATU: Police will take action against several more individuals linked to the arrest of an Israeli man with six guns at a hotel on Jalan Ampang here.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said police have established several more names and action will be taken against them.
"We have recovered all the weapons he possessed and all that's left is for the police to announce the arrest of several others involved. There will be further police monitoring after interrogations found that more individuals are believed to be involved.
"So at this stage, I believe we'll leave it to the discretion of the police to establish whether the (Israeli) man came here for the reasons stated or not,” he told reporters after a programme to instil noble Ramadan values in conjunction with the 11th anniversary of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) here on Saturday (March 30).
On Friday (March 29), it was reported that police arrested a 36-year-old Israeli man with six guns and 200 rounds of ammunition at a hotel on Jalan Ampang here on Wednesday (March 27).
"Give police some space, this is police work. For now, all parties, including the public, must avoid making speculations. I am confident in the progress of the police investigation because they traced the Israeli, who used a French passport and had the weapons, within 48 hours," said Saifuddin.
Meanwhile, he said Esscom, which is entering its 11th year, has witnessed outstanding achievements because, for example, while previously there were cases like kidnappings for ransom, such incidents have not occurred since 2020.
"This security threat in Sabah has significantly decreased with the presence of Esscom... all statistics show that the east coast of Sabah has the potential to be an attractive tourist destination.
"A few months ago, I chaired the Security Border Committee meeting and the tourism sector described how tourist arrivals are on the rise,” he said.
According to Saifuddin, the progress has been aided by changes in coordination strategies, including categorising the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone) not as a lockdown area but as a movement control order (MCO) area.
During Saturday's event, Saifuddin also presented food baskets and duit Raya to 25 disabled individuals and 19 orphans, all of whom are children of security personnel in Lahad Datu. - Bernama
