The Kota Kinabalu High Court, where the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah is ongoing, has been evacuated following a bomb scare.

RCI chief Steve Shim abruptly suspended the inquiry at 2.47pm after commission secretary Saripuddin Kassim went up to the panel and muttered something.

NONE “Due to some emergency, we are stopping now,” said Shim, before police moved in and ushered everyone out of the courthouse compound.

Police remained tight-lipped but asked everyone to wait across the road from the court complex as there could be “danger”.

“Everyone please stand farther away until we have completed our investigation,” said an officer through a loudhailer.

A bomb disposal unit arrived 15 minutes later and a section of Jalan Pantai, which faces the court complex, was cordoned off.

A sniffer dog was brought in at 3.20pm as police scoured the compound and checked vehicles outside the complex.

The evacuation attracted curious onlookers who peered through the courthouse gates from afar as a drizzle fell.

‘Intention to disrupt RCI’

Speaking to journalists later, Kota Kinabalu OCPD Jauteh Dikun said the court complex operator received a telephone call about a bomb threat at 2.30pm.

“The call said there was a bomb, wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in a rubbish bin, therefore we evacuated the court house.

“We have checked the area and found nothing,” Jauteh said, adding that the call was likely aimed at disrupting today's RCI proceedings.

NONE The caller had a male voice and spoke in the Malay language, he added.

A total of 10 police officers and a sniffer dog were involved in the 90-minute operation.

The afternoon session of the RCI began at 2pm and proceeded for less than an hour, before ending for the day and will reconvene tomorrow morning.

The inquiry, which started today, will continue until Jan 18. The second and third sessions have been scheduled for Jan 28 to Feb 1 and Feb 22 to 27.

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