FBI, Interpol aid sought in tracing bomb hoax culprit
KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman is working with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Interpol in connection with the bomb hoaxes at several schools nationwide.
Bukit Aman CID director Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain (pic) said the case is complicated as it involves cyber crime.
“We are not ruling out the possibility that the suspect bounced his IP address via multiple servers overseas.
“We are attempting to identify and track down the suspect with the assistance of other enforcement agencies.
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“Once we can identify the suspect, we can uncover the motive behind the bomb hoax,” he told a press conference in Bukit Aman here on Friday (Nov 24).
Comm Mohd Shuhaily said so far, 51 police reports have been lodged nationwide.
“We received reports from nine states involving international schools, private schools and government-aided schools.
“The highest number of reports is from Selangor with 18 cases, (comprising) 11 international schools and seven private schools,” he said.
Seven reports were recorded in Kuala Lumpur, followed by six in Johor, five in Sarawak and four in Penang, he added.
“Negri Sembilan, Perak and Kedah recorded three cases each while Sabah has two,” he said.
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The additional number of reports since Tuesday (Nov 21) could be due to the school administrators reading the email containing the bomb threat late, Comm Mohd Shuhaily said.
“We believe the email was sent to all the affected schools at the same time,” he added.
Investigation showed all emails were sent by the same sender, “Taktstorer”, he said.
“We are viewing the matter seriously and we will monitor the safety of the schools affected.
“Such cases previously occurred in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica,” he added.
A total of 10 investigation papers have been opened in connection with the incident, Comm Mohd Shuhaily said.
“Our investigation has not indicated that the hoax has anything to do with Malaysia’s strong stand on the Palestine issue,” he added.
It was reported that at least 19 schools were affected by an email containing a bomb threat on Tuesday.
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The email, which caused classes to come to a halt at the schools involved, was believed to have also been sent to 70 schools in Jamaica earlier this month.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain had said investigations revealed that the email was originally written in English and translated into Bahasa Malaysia.
“The same content was also sent to 70 schools in Jamaica on Nov 12 using the same email service provider.
“The investigation now is focussing on whether or not the incident in Malaysia is related to the incident in Jamaica that is believed to have been masterminded by one individual,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
The IGP also said police had opened investigations under Section 507 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for misuse of network facilities.
“We give our assurance that the safety of students and teachers is guaranteed nationwide,” he said.
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