Bomb on Siti Kasim's car appears meticulously planned - Criminologist

SHAH ALAM - Criminologist has dismissed the idea that the bomb planted on the car of lawyer-activist Siti Kasim was a coincidence, asserting that it appears to be a meticulously planned strategy.

Criminologist and Arunachala Research and Consultancy founder R Paneir Selvam opined that Siti might have offended someone or a group, especially because she is a public activist with a big following and might have caught unwanted attention throughout her journey.

"From her point of view, she is right, but some people can misinterpret her statement and they can view it as undermining their standing and belief, so for that they are sending the warning to her and this is quite serious, planting a bomb under a car is quite serious," he told Sinar Daily.

Paneir, who has done research in areas of terrorism, organised crime, terrorist funding, and other related areas said that the police needs to identify whether putting an explosive in Siti's car is an act of terrorism, since this has never happened in Malaysia before except for the case in Southern Thailand where a bomb from Malaysia was found, but not meant as a threat to an individual like Siti Kasim's.

He also said that the possibility of the perpetrator can consist of an individual or a group, or an individual with a lone wolf strategy that goes with the group's beliefs but does not want to go together.

Upon reflecting on the issue, Paneir advised that despite Malaysia being a democratic country, one's freedom of speech should be within the law and they cannot take it into their hands.

"If something does not sit right with what you believe in and stand for, you should bring it to the court.

"Everyone should take care of themselves, especially for an activist like her who has supporters who believe in what she believes in.

"Giving in to a threat by saying "I'm not scared of death" is irresponsible," he said upon commenting on her recent take on the issue on TikTok, where she said that she does not feel threatened by the incident.

Paneir also said that the police need to do more to protect Siti and other public activists, and that they should not be afraid to speak out against injustice.

"The police need to show that they are taking this seriously and that they will not tolerate any threats against public activists," he said.

Currently, the investigation into the two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) found underneath Siti's car last month has reached a dead end.

Former Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain - who is now promoted to a federal position - said several CCTV camera recordings of the case did not show any potential suspects near Siti's car.

Shuhaily, recently appointed as the new federal Criminal Investigation Department director, explained that the police had recorded statements from 13 individuals. Still, none of them could assist in the investigation.

On July 21, Siti sent her car to a service centre in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur, before a mechanic found suspicious objects attached to the vehicle's undercarriage.

Police then deployed its bomb disposal unit and managed to remove the suspected bombs.

At the time, the police confirmed that the explosive devices were real but not switched on.