BANGI, Sept 25 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today reaffirmed that no location in Malaysia has ever served as a training base for Hamas, including during his tenure as home minister.
He said the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), particularly the Special Branch, continues to monitor security at all levels nationwide.
“There is absolutely no such base, let alone one for Hamas. This allegation has been refuted by the inspector-general of police (IGP) yesterday.
“We have a dedicated counter-terrorism monitoring unit under PDRM’s Special Branch, known as E9.
“Even when I was the home minister, PDRM has always conducted such surveillance, and it is impossible for Malaysia to be used as a Hamas base,” he told reporters after a working visit to Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) Malaysia France Institute (MFI) today.
Yesterday, PDRM denied claims by former US Department of Treasury terrorism finance analyst Jonathan Schanzer that Malaysia was serving as a hub for Hamas operations.
IGP Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said the Palestinian struggle was an issue close to the hearts of Muslims in Malaysia, but the country continues to maintain good relations with the United States and other nations.
Schanzer, via his social media account, had alleged that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was not interested in peace between Palestine and Israel.
