KEPALA BATAS, Oct 10 — The man who was arrested in connection with the discovery of a package containing an improvised explosive device (IED) in Mak Mandin on Sunday (October 8) 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 that based on preliminary investigations, the 32-year-old local acted in this way because he claimed 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.
However, the explosion did not cause any injuries to the house's occupants.
Mohd Asri said the police are 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 the arrest of 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 the police received a call reporting that an explosion had been heard in front of a house at 12.57pm on Sunday.
— Bernama
