Isis role confirmed in Malaysia Movida nightclub attack

Malaysian police have confirmed that there was an Islamic State (Isis) link to the recent grenade blast at a nightclub in Puchong in Selangor that left eight people severely wounded. The attack took place in the early hours of 28 June at the Movida nightclub, where people had gathered to watch a Euro 2016 match.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters that they have already arrested two male suspects and are on the lookout for two others allegedly involved in the attack. He added that the attackers were directly instructed by an IS (Daesh) fighter, Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi.

The police chief further said that the two arrested suspects are still in their custody. The duo is believed to have been involved in the throwing of mini hand grenades at Movida on the night of the attack. At least 20 people were at the nightclub, which is located on the outskirts of capital Kuala Lumpur.

"We found that these two men have received orders from one of the Malaysians in Syria, Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, who ordered them to launch attacks in Malaysia on senior leaders of the government, senior leaders of the Malaysian police, judges — because these three groups are those who block their activities," malaymail online quoted the IGP as saying.

Although authorities initially ruled out terrorism as a possible motive behind the attack and suspected it to be a business rivalry clash, they began investigating its links to terrorism after a post on Muhammad Wanndy's Facebook page claimed the attack was carried out by IS fighters.

The Malaysian police launched a massive search between 28 June and 1 July to nab the perpetrators and apprehended around 15 male suspects, of whom two were found to be policemen. "Since the attack on June 28 to July 1, we have arrested 15 people including the two men who threw the hand grenade," the IGP said. The eight people injured in the attack included a woman from China, The Straits Times reported.