At least 1 killed, 14 hurt in M'sia blast

A parking attendant, who was among 14 people injured in the grenade attack at Sun Complex in Bukit Bintang – a popular area for shopping, dining and nightlife – died of his wounds yesterday.

City CID chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Gan Kong Meng said Tiong Kwang Yie, 36, passed away after being treated in the intensive care unit at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur following the 4.25am blast.

Tiong, from Sibu, Sarawak, was among the injured who were rushed to the hospital after the attack outside the Cherry Blossom night club.

The Thai Foreign Ministry said a 58-year-old Thai man from Chiang Mai was among those injured. The man was visiting Kuala Lumpur. He sustained three wounds from the explosive shrapnel, but was not in serious condition. The Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has already helped him go to the hospital and was coordinating with local authorities to provide assistance to him.

The others injured include two Chinese nationals and two Singaporeans. They are receiving treatment at Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Gleneagles Hospital. 

Gan urged the media and public not to speculate on the case as investigations are ongoing, but it is suspected the incident was related to a gangland turf battle.

“We believe it was a hand grenade that was placed in front of the pub,” Kuala Lumpur police chief Tajudin Mohamad Isa told AFP, noting that an unexploded grenade also was found.

Zainol Samah, police chief of the district where the incident took place, told AFP there were 13 total casualties.

Police said the motive in the incident is being investigated, but another top police official said a gangland feud was suspected. A heavily damaged minivan could be seen at the scene of the incident, which was roped off by a tight police presence. 

Such incidents are generally rare in Muslim-majority Malaysia, but public concern has steadily grown over rising crime.

That concern spiked last year with an explosion of gun violence that authorities blamed on rival gangs battling over turf, prompting a tough anti-crime crackdown.

Authorities also have warned recently of the potential for Islamic militant violence, after saying scores of Malaysians had joined the bloody civil war in Syria. Officials fear they will become radicalised there by the Islamic State (IS) group and bring back violent extremist views or inspire anti-Western attacks by supporters in Malaysia, where a moderate brand of Islam prevails.

Police said in August they had arrested 19 people in an amateurish IS-inspired plot to carry out a wave of bombings in Malaysia. Police officials have so far said there was no indication of terrorist involvement in yesterday’s grenade blast.