Malaysia mall evacuated after bomb threat over gov’t’s support for Palestine

On Saturday a popular shopping mall in Malaysia was evacuated in response to a bomb threat made by an anonymous caller, reportedly to sway the government’s longstanding stance on supporting Palestine.

Some 9,000 individuals had to be evacuated from the Mid Valley Southkey Mall in Johor Bahru. According to reports, the anonymous caller, who identified as a foreigner, threatened to plant a bomb within the premises.

The caller is said to have demanded that Malaysia cease its support for Palestine amid the Israeli military’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.

In a Facebook post made on Saturday evening, the mall’s management confirmed that they had received a “security threat report through an anonymous phone call.”

Shoppers at a mall in Malaysia panicked after an anonymous caller phoned in a bomb threat on Saturday over Malaysia’s support for Palestine, local media reported. Malaysia’s Deputy PM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his government would continue to support Palestinians despite the threat pic.twitter.com/NrAZyJNsDl

— TRT Afrika (@trtafrika) October 16, 2023

Following the incident, Kuala Lumpur reaffirmed its continued support for Palestine and its cause, despite the threat of terrorism. Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reassured the public that “We do not have to be afraid of anything, not even threats (against support of Palestine). In fact, we are giving financial aid to Palestine. We will continue to support Palestine.”

Zahid also said that Malaysia is aiming to donate around $21 million (RM100 million) to help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

“Our target is RM100 million, the biggest donation amount in the country’s history, to support the people of Palestine,” he was quoted as saying.

Following Friday prayers in Kuala Lumpur some 15,000 protestors gathered to condemn Israel’s aggression against Gaza. According to the Malay Mail, protesters wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and held placards reading ‘Israel cuak’ (Israel is frightened), amidst chants of ‘Hidup Palestin’ (long live Palestine) and ‘Hancur Zionist’ (crush the Zionists).

READ: Malaysia PM standing strong as pressure mounts to denounce Hamas