‘Cult followers may be out for more hits’
IN COLD BLOOD: Jaip official wasn’t sole target, says top cop
(NST) – Police believe that in keeping the group intact, the remaining followers of Tuhan Harun are out to assassinate several individuals on their case.
MARANG: HARUN Mat Saat, the leader of the Tuhan Harun sect, may be in police custody, but investigators fear that his hardcore followers will go all out to ensure that the group lives on.
Police believe that in keeping the group intact, the remaining followers of Tuhan Harun are out to assassinate several individuals on their case.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said investigations revealed that the cult members were not only responsible for planning and carrying out the assassination of Pahang Islamic Religious Department (Jaip) enforcement director Ahmad Rafli Abdul Malek last month, but were also planning other hits.
“It is fortunate that we caught the leader and some of the followers, as they were planning to assassinate others. We have caught two of the 10 wanted followers. We are looking for eight more,” he said yesterday in Wakaf Tapai, Marang, where he declared that the Federal Reserve Unit had been upgraded to Brigade class to improve efficiency and management of the Royal Malaysian Police.
A source told the New Straits Times that while Rafli was at the forefront in the probe into the sect, religious personnel in other states were also on the case, as well.
“The fear is that they could be targets, too. Tuhan Harun operates and has a significant number of followers in several states. Among its major bases are Selangor and Johor. Investigators are looking into obsessed followers who are loyal to their leader and willing to carry out orders.”
Harun was arrested in Tangkak, Johor, last month, with a man believed to be one of his most trusted followers and his third wife. Another 13 followers were also picked up.
The source told NST that it was during a raid in the Klang Valley that police picked up an individual, believed to be one of the three men at Rafli’s house, where he was shot dead. It is learnt that the murder weapon was found during the raid.
The source revealed that the trigger man in the shooting was among those on the police’s wanted list and still at large. In the latest arrest of wanted members on Monday, police picked up two men, aged 29 and 37, in Semporna, Sabah.
Meanwhile, Khalid said under “Op Warta” that started on Sept 25, more than 3,000 traffic offenders settled their summonses, adding that their arrest warrants were cancelled as soon as they did so.
