PETALING JAYA: The situation remains under control in the United States following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally, says Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz (pic).
Malaysia’s Ambassador-designate to the United States said shooting cases are relatively common in the United States, unlike in Malaysia.
“It’s a big country and every day there are shooting cases in the news, but the situation remains under control,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Nazri was asked on the latest updates following the shooting incident, which saw the former US president getting shot in his right ear during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
One rally attendee was killed and two others critically injured, while the suspect was shot dead at the scene by US Secret Service officers.
Malaysia has condemned the attempt, with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emphasising that violence is never a solution to disagreements.In a rare address from the Oval Office on Sunday evening, US President Joe Biden called on Americans to cool the temperature around political debates.
“It must never be a battlefield and, God forbid, a killing field,” he warned.
“No matter how strong our convictions, we must never descend into violence.”
Regarding the ongoing US presidential election, Nazri said all eyes are on Biden, the incumbent who is facing some calls to step aside in the race against Trump.
Nazri also advised the Malaysian diaspora in the United States, including travellers and students, to exercise caution when visiting Times Square in New York, especially after midnight.
“There has been a recent spate of knife-stabbing cases in the area, so I would like to remind Malaysians to be careful if they plan to visit after midnight,” said Nazri, adding that the cases were isolated and had no links to any groups.
The New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed that a tourist was the victim of an unprovoked knife attack near Times Square in May, with the crime being captured on video.
The NYPD was quoted as saying that it was part of a surge in assault cases in the Midtown South Precinct, which includes Times Square.
There were 191 felony assaults between April 7 and May 5, up from 153 cases during the same period last year.
