KUALA LUMPUR – A man shared the intense moment that he had with his family after witnessing a shooting incident at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) around 1.30am today.
Fazlan Saleng said he and his family were waiting for the elevator on their way to the departure hall at the time of the incident.
He said that at first, he thought the loud noises at the terminal were firecrackers, but he later realised they were gunshots.
“The incident occurred right in front of us while we were waiting for the elevator to go to the departure hall.
“Initially, I believed someone was setting off firecrackers inside the airport – which I found strange.
“The first shot, then the second, and then the third. People near us were running all over the place,” he said on Facebook.
After witnessing the pandemonium, Fazlan said he grabbed his wife’s hand and took his children to hide.
At that time, he saw the face of the man believed to be the suspect, who fled immediately after the incident.
“I had time to see the suspect placing his pistol back into his bag before he escaped through the departure hall door at the airport.
“After that, he returned inside and passed in front of us – keeping one hand inside his bag, likely ready to draw his pistol again, before descending on the escalator,’ he said.
Fazlan said that before leaving, he checked the surroundings because he was concerned that the suspect might have accomplices at the terminal.
He and his wife were panicking but their children remained calm and did not cry, he said.
Further, Fazlan said that his cousin was waiting for him at the terminal, and he asked his cousin to leave the area in case the shooting continued.
Meanwhile, another witness who had spent a night at KLIA to wait for his next flight also claimed to have heard the gunshots fired by the suspect.
“Stayed a night at KLIA. There were sounds of gunshots.”
Earlier, Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirmed that a bodyguard was seriously injured after he was shot by a man at the KLIA arrival hall.
He said the suspect had targeted his wife but missed, hitting a local man who serves as her bodyguard instead.
The couple was also in the process of getting divorced, and Hussein added that the man was previously detained after the woman lodged reports of criminal threats.
Hussein confirmed that the incident was personal and not linked to any terrorist activity.
The motive behind the incident is still under police investigation, and the case is classified as attempted murder under Section 307 of the Penal Code and the Firearms Act.
Additionally, Bukit Aman criminal investigation director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said that the suspect’s wife, whom he was targeting, is in the early stages of pregnancy. – April 14, 2024