Four business premises near a fast-food restaurant on Jalan Changlun, Jitra, were destroyed in a fire last night.

Kedah Fire and Rescue Department Operations and Station Management Branch chief, Senior Fire Superintendent II Abd Fataf Amdan, said the department received an emergency call at 9.13 pm and arrived at the scene three minutes later.

“Upon arrival, firefighters found that the blaze involved four permanent business premises, with damage estimated between 15 and 95 per cent. However, no casualties were reported.

“A total of 16 personnel from the Jitra and Bukit Kayu Hitam Fire and Rescue Stations, assisted by Volunteer Firefighting Teams, were deployed to contain the fire,” he said in a statement today.

He added that the fire was brought under control at 9.35 pm and the operation was fully concluded at 1.11 am.

Two local men were killed after being attacked with machetes during a brawl in Klang last night.

In a statement today, Klang Selatan police chief Assistant Commissioner Cha Hoong Fong said authorities received a call about injured individuals involved in a fight at 10.50pm.

Investigations found that the incident occurred around 10.20pm at a business premises in Taman Sentosa,.

“The suspects attacked two victims at the premises. One fled but was later found dead at another premises about 50 metres away.

“The second victim was taken to a nearby private hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

“Both men, aged 36 and 38, had prior criminal records,” he said.

Police have opened a murder investigation under Section 302 of the Penal Code and are probing possible links to secret societies.

“The bodies have been sent to Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) Klang for post-mortem examinations.

“Efforts to track down the suspects are ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact Klang Selatan police at 03-33762222,” he added.

Police have urged the public not to be alarmed over masked men seen carrying weapons at the Politeknik Ungku Omar this morning, saying they were part of a counter-terrorism training exercise.

The small-scale drill involved the 69 Commando unit from the Special Operations Command (PGK) along with various security and emergency agencies.

“The public is advised not to panic or spread inaccurate speculation regarding this incident and exercise,” said Ipoh District Police Chief ACP Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad.

The exercise, called Ex Kurung, was designed to test the preparedness of security forces in handling hostage situations.

The simulated scenario involved an armed group taking a lecturer and several students hostage.

​Security vehicles, medical teams, and a Police Air Wing helicopter were deployed as part of the operation.

The police said such drills are crucial to maintaining public safety and ensuring effective crisis response.

A 25-year-old man was arrested for allegedly punching a motorcyclist at a traffic light in Kota Shahbandar, Melaka, yesterday.

Melaka Tengah District Police Chief ACP Christopher Patit said the suspect was detained at 3pm but was later released due to health concerns.

“The suspect was taken in for questioning to assist investigations under Sections 506 and 323 of the Penal Code,” Christopher said in a statement.

Section 506 covers criminal intimidation, which is punishable by up to 2 years in prison, a fine, or both, while Section 323 pertains to voluntarily causing hurt, for which offenders may face up to a year in prison, a maximum fine of RM2,000, or both.

The incident occurred around 2am when the suspect reportedly exited a black Toyota Vellfire and punched the victim in the back of the head while the motorcyclist was waiting at the traffic light.

The victim then got off his motorcycle and pushed the suspect away before nearby road users intervened.

The suspect quickly re-entered his vehicle and fled the scene.

Police believe the suspect was intoxicated at the time, and investigations into the motive are ongoing.

A 47-second video of the incident was shared on social media.

Johor Bahru Utara police have opened an investigation into an incident involving a Chinese man who was slapped by a stranger at a mall in Johor Bahru.

The victim alleged that the middle-aged man slapped him twice after the two argued over his identity. The assailant had reportedly suspected that the victim was a Malay-Muslim openly eating during Ramadan.

When the victim refused to show his identification card, an argument ensued before he was slapped. The entire incident was recorded and later shared on social media.

Johor police said the case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code.

“We received a report about the incident on March 16 from a local man, aged 21. Preliminary investigations showed the incident occurred at a mall in Johor Bahru at around 3.45pm,” police said in a statement.

“The incident likely started when the man questioned the complainant about his religion and then asked for his MyKad, but the latter refused to comply,” the statement added.

“The case is being investigated under Section 323 of the Penal Code. If convicted, the offender faces up to one year in jail, a fine of RM2,000, or both.”

The video clip of the incident has since gone viral, sparking a heated debate on moral policing and minority rights.

Malaysia practices a federal system in which each state has full autonomy over Islamic affairs, leading to variations in Shariah laws. However, all states prohibit Muslims who are not fasting from eating or drinking in public during Ramadan.

The third accused in the murder case of Kolej Vokasional Lahad Datu student Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat Mohd Narul Azwan, also known as Ijat, told the High Court here yesterday that he did not personally see the victim stealing his money or that of the fourth accused.

The ninth defence witness (who cannot be named because he is a juvenile), during cross-examination by Deputy Public Prosecutor Nur Nisla Abdul Latif, also informed the court that no one had witnessed the victim stealing the said money.

During the trial before Judge Datuk Duncan Sikodol, the third accused also agreed with Nur Nisla’s suggestion that the missing money belonged to him and the fourth accused.

Nur Nisla: Do you agree that when you saw Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat handing over the missing amount of money to the fifth accused, you were angry?

Third accused: I do not agree (that I was angry), I was shocked.

Earlier, in his witness statement, the third accused said that the first and fifth accused had searched for the victim and another student to ask about the theft incident.

He said that the first accused later informed him that both the victim and the other student denied stealing the money.

​“But in Dormitory 7 Resak, I saw the fifth accused talking to the victim, after which the victim took out RM50 from his trouser pocket and RM27 from his notebook and handed them over to the fifth accused. The fifth accused then gave the money to me,” he added.

On Feb 28, Judge Duncan ordered 13 male students, aged 16 to 19, who were jointly charged with murdering Mohamad Nazmie Aizzat, 17, in the dormitory rooms 7 Resak and 5 Belian, Kolej Vokasional Lahad Datu between 9 pm on March 21, 2024, and 7.38 am on March 22, 2024, to enter their defence.

All 13 students were charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34, which provides for the death penalty, or imprisonment of 30 to 40 years and up to 12 strokes of the cane, upon conviction.

Apart from Nur Nisla, the prosecution team also includes DPPs Ng Juhn Tao and Batrisyia Mohd Khusri.

Eight of the 13 students are represented by lawyers Kamarudin, Ram Singh and Chen Wen Jye, while the remaining five are represented by Mohamed Zairi Zainal Abidin, Abdul Ghani Zelika, Vivian Thien, Jhesseny P. Kang, and Kusni Ambotuwo.

The trial resumes today.

Three foreign men, suspected of being part of a violent robbery gang, were shot dead by police in a forested area in Desa Vista early this morning.

According to a report, the suspects, aged between 35 and 40, had been linked to 17 cases of robbery and burglary across Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and Kuala Lumpur since early last year.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department Deputy Director Datuk Fadil Marsus said the incident began when a homeowner spotted the masked suspects armed with machetes after their attempted robbery triggered a security alarm.

The suspects fled into a forested area near a water tank, prompting police to deploy a special team to track them down.

“In response, the police were forced to open fire in self-defence. All suspects were confirmed dead at the scene,” Fadil was quoted as saying.

Investigations revealed that the three men were part of a five-member gang, responsible for total losses estimated at RM1 million.

Police are currently hunting for the remaining two gang members, believed to be still at large.

The suspects’ bodies have been sent to Serdang Hospital for post-mortem examination as authorities continue their investigation.

A traffic officer sustained minor injuries after being involved in an accident while escorting the vehicle of Melaka Governor Tun Mohd Ali Rustam at the Seri Bayan roundabout in Durian Tunggal, here last night.

Alor Gajah district chief Supt Ashari Abu Samah said at around 10.45 pm, Mohd Tarmizi Manap, 50, was heading to the Melaka International Airport in Batu Berendam from Durian Tunggal on his high-powered motorcycle.

“Preliminary investigations found that the accident occurred when a Proton S70 driven by a 51-year-old man suddenly switched lanes from the left side of the roundabout to make a right turn.

“It collided with the victim’s motorcycle...causing him to lose control and crash into a Perodua Myvi driven by a 25-year-old man coming from the opposite direction,” he said in a statement today.

Ashari said the escort officer sustained injuries on his hands and legs and was sent to Melaka Hospital. The other two drivers escaped unhurt.

He added that the case is classified under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

The High Court today set an eight-day trial, beginning Oct 22, for three family members of the suspect in the Ulu Tiram Police Station attack in Johor, who are facing terrorism-related charges.

Judge Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid set the dates, after both deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P. Kunyalam and defence lawyer Fatima Zulaikha Ahmad Bashri, representing the suspect’s mother, Rosna Jantan, 60, and sisters Farhah Sobrina Radin Imran, 24, and Mariah Radin Imran, 20, agreed on the schedule.

“The court has set the trial from Oct 22 to 24 and Oct 27 to 31, 2025,” the judge announced during case management, today.

Earlier, Mohamad Mustaffa said that the prosecution would call 15 witnesses, including the Sessions Court judge, investigating officers, and members of the public.

On Sept 30 last year, Rosna pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to provide information related to terrorist ideology, at a house in Kampung Sungai Tiram, Johor Bahru, between April 2017 and May 17, 2023.

On Oct 23, last year, Farhah Sobrina pleaded not guilty to willfully withholding information related to terrorist ideology, at the same location and date. Meanwhile, on Nov 27, 2024, Mariah also pleaded not guilty to a similar charge.

The charges were framed under Section 130M of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment or a fine or both, if convicted.

​On Jan 20, High Court Judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin allowed all three cases to be tried together.

In the attack on the police station on May 17, two constables, Ahmad Azza Fahmi Azhar, 22, and Muhamad Syafiq Ahmad Said, 24, were killed, while Corporal Mohd Hasif Roslan, 38, was injured after being shot by an assailant, who was eventually shot dead in the incident.

A senior citizen who falsely claimed his friend had a bomb in his bag has been fined RM100.

According to reporters, 64-year-old Ng Kok Yeow pleaded guilty to insulting behaviour intended to disrupt public peace. He admitted to the charge immediately after it was read before Magistrate Chia Huey Ting on Friday.

He was fined RM100 or faced three days in jail if unpaid.

According to the charge sheet, Ng informed a Malaysia Airlines employee at the Penang International Airport check-in counter in Bayan Lepas that his friend’s bag contained a bomb. The incident occurred around 10.30pm on March 11.

He was charged under Section 14 of the Minor Offences Act 1955 for making the statement despite knowing it could cause public disruption. Ng received the maximum fine allowed under the section.

Ng’s lawyer, Hazarul Iqram Rozahan from the National Legal Aid Foundation, noted that his guilty plea saved the court time and resources.

He mentioned that Ng worked as a trader with a monthly income of RM1,000 and had two children who depended on him.

​Deputy Public Prosecutor R. Lushani stressed that Ng’s actions were serious and warranted the maximum fine.

“It is a sensitive matter and (such words should not be) uttered especially at a place with high security measures like an airport,” she was quoted as saying by the English daily.

Reports on Wednesday stated that two men were detained after one made a false bomb threat at an airport check-in counter.

South-West OCPD Asst Comm Sazalee Adam stated that the incident led airport authorities to implement immediate security measures. A thorough inspection of the luggage confirmed there were no hazardous materials.

Police then proceeded with the detention of both men for further investigation.