KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police are looking into reports that an armed man detained last week had links to an Israeli crime syndicate, amid a widening investigation.
Shalom Avitan, 36, was arrested at a Kuala Lumpur hotel on March 27 carrying six guns and 200 bullets. Her was travelling on a fake French passport but also had an Israeli passport. Initial reports quoted Malaysian security sources as saying the man was a suspected Israeli “spy”.
Malaysia, a majority-Muslim country, is a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and has criticised Israel’s actions in the Gaza war. Malaysia and Israel do not have diplomatic relations.
Police are now seeking more suspects to assist in the investigation, Razarudin Husain, Inspector-General of Police, said on Tuesday.
The Times of Israel, citing Hebrew-language media, reported on Saturday that Avitan was an associate of an Israeli criminal syndicate who had been en route to assassinate a member of a rival crime family.
Razarudin confirmed that Avitan told Malaysian authorities that he was in Malaysia to hunt down another Israeli citizen, but said police remained doubtful and did not rule out the possibility that the suspect could have had other plans.
“We are seeking to identify a motive. … We are wondering why he’s looking for one person with six guns,” Razarudin said.
Authorities were preparing charges against Avitan, who has been remanded until April 7, for illegal trafficking of firearms, which carries penalties that could include whipping, life imprisonment or a death sentence.
Razarudin said Avitan had paid a married Malaysian couple 10,000 ringgit (US$2,100) for the guns, which were smuggled from neighbouring Thailand. The couple and another Malaysian suspected of acting as Avitan’s driver were also arrested.
Malaysia is working to tighten border security following the arrests, Razarudin said, given the country’s criticism of Israel since the Gaza war began last October.
In 2018, a Palestinian scientist was shot dead in Kuala Lumpur in a killing that the Hamas militant group suggested was carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence service. Israel denied the allegations.