I was in Kota Bharu when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was there on Friday, July 28. I was not at the airport to see Mahathir getting gassed or sprayed (at around 11am) but by 3:30pm my friends and I had met reporters, photographers and other folks who were not only at the airport but who had also suffered the effects of the gas attack.

There is some dispute as to the type of gas used and where it came from. Victims said it was unlike pepper sprays or tear gas. The gas at Kota Baru that day had no smell and they said they felt a burning sensation on their skin but only in places where the gas touched it.

Tear gas and pepper sprays do not have this effect. The other thing to note is that reporters and people standing up to five feet away on either side of the Pajero were equally affected by the gas. This means the gas had quickly spread out from the centre.

So where did the gas come from? It is unlikely that the person who released the gas was also standing in the middle of the gas cloud. How was the cloud of gas delivered ? No one saw any teargas canister or gas bomb being thrown at Dr M. No one saw anyone spraying gas from a can.

The police have not divulged this information yet. Where is the canister, gas tube or whatever that was used to deliver the gas ? The police must investigate this case really carefully.

On the face of it, it just doesn't make sense for someone to undertake all this just to get Dr M into a car. Spraying dangerous gas into your beloved Tun's face, making him choke and cough, so that you can then take him home for lunch!