Man arrested over IED allegedly detonated it in front of neighbour's house out of anger - police

KEPALA BATAS - The man who was arrested in connection with the discovery of a package containing an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mak Mandin near here on Sunday is believed to have detonated the explosive device in front of his neighbour’s house out of anger.

Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) District Police chief ACP Mohd Asri Shafie said based on preliminary investigations, the 32-year-old local acted in this way because he claimed that an elderly man, who was his neighbour, often demeaned him.

"He detonated the explosive to scare and warn the neighbour.

"The suspect placed the explosives in front of his neighbour’s house on the fourth floor of the Taman Pandan Flat before detonating it, causing damage to the iron grill of the latter’s house and the corridor area," he said when contacted by Bernama today.

He said, however, the explosion did not cause any injuries to the occupants of the house.

Mohd Asri said the police were currently conducting further investigations to determine if the arrested man was involved in other crimes, as besides the IED, they also discovered a homemade pistol and a ‘kerambit’ (small curved knife) at his house.

"A detailed investigation involving the police team from Bukit Aman is being conducted to identify the man's background and the extent to which he has the skills to produce the explosives and whether it is for criminal activities, or sold to anyone.

Yesterday the media reported that the police arrested a local man and his foreign female housemate following the discovery of a package containing an IED on the fourth floor of the Taman Pandan Flat after they received a call reporting that an explosion had been heard in front of a house at 12.57 pm on Sunday. - BERNAMA