(Borneo Insider) - The death toll in the Semporna shootout between police and armed men, Saturday night has risen to two.
Both are policemen and one is at least a sub-inspector. Sabah police chief Hamzaz Taib is now confirming that the Kampung Simpunul shoot-out is related to the Tanduo stand-off.
A third policeman is still in critical condition and is warded at the Semporna general hospital.
More to come.
LAHAD DATU: At least one policeman is believed to have been shot dead, and another critically wounded, when a police raiding party was fired upon as they approached Kampung Simunul, Saturday evening in the hunt for a cache of firearms at one of the houses.
But Sabah police chief Datuk Hamzah Taib would only confirm that the two policemen were shot and injured during a shootout with unknown gunmen as they were on the boardwalk heading towards a house.
He denied that any police station had been attacked. This was in reaction to unconfirmed reports that the police station at Pulau Bum Bum came under a bomb attack.
When met at Felda Sahabat, Tungku, at about 10pm Saturday, Hamza said that a team of policeman had gone to the village in search of several people, following reports that they were in possession of firearms.
“The policemen entered the village and were heading towards the suspect’s house when they were fired upon and two of our men were injured,” was all Hamzah would say.
Apart from saying that police have now encircled the village in search of the attackers, he also said “we believe this incident is unrelated to the situation in Tanduo, Lahad Datu,”
Hamza was in Lahad Datu together with Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein and Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Ismail Omar, when they immediately left for Tungku just about the same time unconfirmed reports of gunshots and explosions were heard in Semporna and Tawau.
They are now believed to be huddled up at the General Operations Force command centre at Felda Sabah Residence in Tungku, close to Tanduo in Sahabat 17 monitoring reports from all over.
Read more at: http://borneoinsider.com/2013/03/02/hamza-two-cops-shot-in-simunul-island/
