Cops arrest suspect over New Year disturbance at mosque

Summary

• A 25-year-old suspect was arrested for allegedly disrupting a mosque congregation in TTDI, Kuala Lumpur, on New Year’s Day, causing damage to a TV and chair.

• The incident, captured in a viral video, is being investigated under Section 427 of the Penal Code.

• Police revealed the suspect has a history of mental illness and urged the public to provide any relevant information.

Police have arrested a 25-year-old suspect for allegedly disturbing a congregation at a mosque in Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI), Kuala Lumpur, in an incident that has gone viral on social media.

In a statement today, Brickfields district police chief Ku Mashariman Ku Mahmood said the incident occurred at 5.40am on New Year’s Day, resulting in the damage of a television and a chair.

The case is being investigated under Section 427 of the Penal Code for committing mischief and thereby causing damage of RM25,000 or above. The offence is punishable by one to five year’s imprisonment, a fine, or both.

The incident was captured in a video lasting two minutes and 46 seconds, which is being circulated on social media along with captions describing it as a “provocation” against Muslims.

The video showed a man apparently addressing the congregation while prayers were not taking place, but his voice was not intelligible in the recording. He then walked up and kneeled on a prayer mat in front, causing members of the congregation to yell “Take him out!”

Several people tried to drag him away, but the situation quickly escalated to a point where a security guard attempted to restrain him while others tried to beat the man.

The video ends as the police intervene to handcuff the man and take him away.

Meanwhile, Ku Mashariman said the suspect has a history of mental illness since April 2022, and last received treatment at the University of Malaya Medical Centre on Jan 16, 2023.

He urged members of the public with information on the incident to channel it to the Kuala Lumpur police’s hotline at 03-21159999 or the Brickfields district police headquarters’ operations room at 03-22979222, or approach any nearby police station.

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