Fuzi Harun says the security threat was not invented by the police to frighten the organisers of the festival.
KUALA LUMPUR: The arrest of three suspects who plotted to attack the beer festival planned here this month showed the security threat was real and not invented by the police, said Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun.
Fuzi, who last month objected to the beer festival citing a security threat, said the three suspects caught in Kelantan recently had plotted to set off improvised explosive devices (IED) at the beer festival which was eventually cancelled.
He said the trio also targeted to attack several entertainment centres and non-Muslim houses of worship in the Klang Valley.
“Our statement forbidding the beer festival was related to a serious security threat. We did not invent false information to frighten the festival organisers,” he told a news conference to announce the arrests of the trio.
Fuzi said the mastermind of the plot to bomb the festival was a 19-year-old form six student from Pasir Puteh, Kelantan.
The two other suspects were a retired soldier, aged 34, from Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, who worked as a construction labourer, and a 25-year-old building contractor from Pengkalan Hulu, Perak.
All three were arrested on Oct 10 in a restaurant in Kelantan.
Fuzi said the suspects had successfully undergone tests in exploding IEDs on Sept 28.
He said each IED had a blast radius of about 30 metres
“The device can cause many deaths if exploded at a beer festival,” he added.
Fuzi also said the suspect from Perak had connections with “Geng Gagak Hitam” (Black Raven Gang) which was involved in the grenade attack on the Movida bar in Puchong, Selangor, on June 28 last year.
“He was also connected to (Malaysian IS fighters) Muhammad Wandy (Mohamed Jedi) and Akil Zainal in Syria,” he said.
Fuzi said the latest arrests brought to nine, cases of attempts to explode IEDs which the police successfully foiled since 2013.
“The police also arrested 78 people in the country with connections to the IS since last January.”
Regarding the form six student, Fuzi said the police would discuss with the education ministry to enable him to sit for the Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) examination which would begin on Nov 6.