Police identifying possible involvement of foreign spies in Palestinian's kidnapping

KUALA LUMPUR - The Kuala Lumpur police are in the midst of identify the possibility of the involvement of foreign intelligence agency in the case of the kidnapping of a Palestinian, here, on Sept 28.

Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Azmi Abu Kassim said based on initial investigation, police did not even have information on Mossad's involvement in the case.

"We could not yet confirm the involvement of an external intelligence agency in the kidnapping case.

"So when there are speculations about the agency (Mossad), it interfered with our investigation," he said during a press conference after the launching of the Rapid KL Safety Point programme at the Kampung Batu MRT Station here on Wednesday.

Azmi said so far, police have yet to confirm the authenticity of the report by an English daily on the issue.

"I cannot confirm whether the report is valid or not because the investigation is still ongoing," he said.

Commenting on the investigation into the report, he confirmed that police had called the writer of the report to assist in the investigation.

Azmi said the police were aware of the fact that information on the identity of the witness in the Palestinian kidnapping case had been circulated.

On Tuesday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani asked the public not to make any speculations that could interfere with the investigation and confuse the public to the extent that it could threaten public safety and order.

Previously, a total of 18 individuals comprising local men and women and Indonesians were arrested between Sept 29 and Oct 4 in a series of raids in the Klang Valley and Melaka over their alleged involvement in the kidnapping case involving a Palestinian man at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng here on Sept 28.

The victim, believed to be a businessman was however successfully rescued during a separate raid carried out personnel from the Kuala Lumpur Contingent Police Headquarters (IPK) Criminal Investigation Department and Dang Wangi district Police Headquarters (IPD).

On Oct 14, a total of 11 individuals, including a woman, were charged at the magistrate's court, here, after they were believed to have been involved in the kidnapping case.

The motive behind the kidnapping was purportedly to obtain information in relation to a software to hack mobile phones belonging to the Palestinian victim.