15/09/2025

MONDAY | SEPT 15, 2025

5

Efforts of unsung heroes against terror threats before 9/11

Civil servant held over dangerous driving incident KUALA LUMPUR: Police have arrested a civil servant in connection with a dangerous driving incident and a roadside dispute with a woman at the Bangi toll plaza in Selangor on Friday. Kajang police chief ACP Naazron Abdul Yusof said the 25-year-old man was detained at 9.50pm yesterday after surrendering at the Kajang police headquarters. His Perodua Myvi was also seized in the Dang Wangi area, Bernama reported. “The suspect has been remanded for a day to assist investigations under Section 279 of the Penal Code and Rule 6(1) of the Road Traffic Rules 1959,” Naazron said in a statement yesterday. He added that police had earlier received a report from a 31-year old woman, who was involved in the dispute, at 7.50pm on Friday. Investigations showed that at about 6.10am that day, the complainant’s car was struck on the left front side by a Perodua Myvi at the Bangi toll plaza. Minister sends condolences to family of soldier KUALA LUMPUR: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin has conveyed condolences to the family of private Muhammad Irfan Haiqal Abdullah, 20, who was found dead during an operation on Pulau Mataking in Semporna, Sabah on Friday. In a Facebook post, Mohamed Khaled prayed for the family’s strength in facing the tragedy. Muhammad Irfan, from the Fifth Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, was reported missing on Sept 12 before being found unconscious. Despite receiving medical aid, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Earlier, Joint Task Force 2 confirmed that one soldier was found dead, while another, private Muhammad Zulkarnain Jaffar, 27, remains missing. Both soldiers were on duty under Ops PASIR, Semporna Sector Series 3/2025 when they were reported missing on Pulau Mataking. The incident is believed to have involved drowning. – Bernama

Terrorism Division but the result of cooperation across all SB divisions, many working quietly behind the scenes,” he said. The revelation raises an unsettling question: What if Malaysian officers had not recognised

was the beginning of a surveillance marathon – public payphones near Menara Maybank, smoke-filled internet cafes, late-night stakeouts during which every phone call mattered. Every scrap of intel – flight details, passports, call records – was passed to the Americans. However, not all of it made its way to the FBI.

o Special Branch officers worked behind scenes carrying out surveillance leading to crippling of JI, Al-Qaeda networks nationwide and regionally: Deputy IGP

Ű BY IKHWAN ZULKAFLEE newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Al-Mihdhar at KLIA? What if JI’s networks had been left unchecked? The answer is chilling. Southeast Asia could well have been another frontline for Al-Qaeda’s terror campaigns. Malaysia itself – with its busy airports, crowded cities and porous borders – might have faced attacks. But thankfully, they never came to pass. Instead, the country dodged that bullet, thanks to officers whose names will never make the front pages, and whose work is often buried in the footnotes of international reports. More than two decades later, their story is a reminder that security does not always feature flashing lights and sirens or grand press conferences. Sometimes, it looks like a weary officer nursing kopi at a mamak stall, eyes trained on a payphone across the street, waiting for a call that could change the course of history.

To ease the congestion, the agency has activated its Quick Response Team and deployed additional duty officers to manage traffic at the checkpoint. Mohd Nasaruddin said the border agency is also working with police and other enforcement agencies to ensure the border, which operates from 6am to midnight, remains under tight supervision. “Continuous ground monitoring is being carried out to keep the situation under control. Travellers are advised to cooperate with enforcement personnel and plan their journeys, including factoring in waiting times.” He also urged all road users to comply with instructions for safety and a smooth journey. – Bernama But for the officers on the ground, it was long, tense hours of watching and waiting. “At the time, the Special Branch was led by one of its most respected directors, Datuk Yusof Rahaman. “I was fortunate to serve under his leadership since I joined SB in 1993,” Ayob wrote on Facebook, crediting Yusof and his colleagues for the success of the operation. On Jan 4, 2000, Ayob and his team conducted a stakeout at the KL International Airport (KLIA). At the baggage carousel, an inspector known as Mohd Raby quietly identified a man in a black long-sleeved shirt as Khalid Al-Mihdhar, who together with four others would later hijack American Airlines Flight 77 and crash it into the Pentagon in Arlington, USA. Al-Mihdhar and his companion slipped past, checking into a Bukit Bintang budget hotel. For most Malaysians, it was just another weekday. For SB officers, it swapped with Rafizi’s. “Other than our faces, both photos are identical – down to the pillows, blanket folds, room and bed,” he noted. He also shot down rumours on social media that his phone had been hacked, urging the public not to spread false claims but to circulate accurate information instead. Wong said police will provide updates as investigations continue, while he has also sought advice from IT and cryptocurrency experts to help trace the blackmailer. He added he

Bukit Kayu Hitam Border Control and Protection Agency commander SAC Mohd Nasaruddin M. Nasir said the traffic build-up began on Saturday and is expected to persist until Sept 21. “There is extraordinary congestion at the private vehicle exit lane because of the overwhelming number of vehicles heading to Thailand, due to the school break and public holiday,” he said in a statement yesterday. Movement statistics recorded 21,971 individuals passing through the ICQS Complex yesterday. Of that, 4,941 people werer of various inbox. The email carried a threat, a screenshot allegedly depicting Wong in a compromising position and a QR code demanding US$100,000 (RM420,590) in cryptocurrency. “My officer did not click on any links or scan the QR code. We immediately filed a report with Subang police, who promptly assigned an inspector to investigate,” he said. Wong later discovered that Rafizi had received an identical email the same day, with the same wording and image – except that the face was PETALING JAYA: Long before the world watched in horror as planes slammed into New York’s Twin Towers on Sept 11, 2001 (9/11), a handful of Malaysian plainclothes officers were already losing sleep in dingy budget hotels, airport lounges and cyber cafes – shadowing men whose names would later be etched into global infamy. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay ( pic ) revealed that the Special Branch (SB) had Al-Qaeda operatives in its crosshairs as early as December 1999, nearly two years before 9/11. It all began with a single US intelligence tip-off. From that moment, the counter-terrorism unit launched a surveillance operation so meticulous it was later immortalised in the 9/11 Commission Report and cited in books such as The Looming Tower and The Black Banners .

The suspects eventually flew to Bangkok, but the Malaysian trail did not go cold. Links to local networks, including ex-army captain Yazid Sufaat and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), kept the SB officers busy. By Dec 11, 2001, their patience paid off – a sweeping operation smashed JI networks across Malaysia and the wider region, from Singapore to Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and even Australia. It was Southeast Asia’s first coordinated counter-terrorism takedown – and Malaysia was at its centre. Ayob stressed that none of it was a one-man show. “The success of the Special Branch in uncovering Al-Qaeda and JI networks was not solely the achievement of the Counter

Holidays trigger heavy jam at Bukit Kayu Hitam immigration complex ALOR SETAR: The Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex is facing unusual congestion following a surge in traffic heading into Thailand during the school holidays and Malaysia Day long weekend. nationalities, including Malaysians, Thais, Indonesians, Chinese and Indians, entered Malaysia, while 17,030 departed for Thailand.

Mohd Nasaruddin said the traffic build-up began on Saturday and is expected to persist until Sept 21. – PIC COURTESY OF BORDER CONTROL AND PROTECTION AGENCY FACEBOOK PAGE

PKR lawmakers targeted by blackmailers use AI-generated images

Ű BY HARITH KAMAL newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Rafizi, the former Economy minister, confirmed yesterday that he had also received the same blackmail message, and revealed that he has also endured four hacking attempts in the past nine months – on Nov 14, 2024, March 6, June 25 and Sept 3 this year. In a separate statement, Taufiq said scammers had also circulated AI generated pornographic content bearing his likeness. He has since lodged a police report and urged the public to remain vigilant.

may raise the matter with Bank Negara Malaysia and the Securities Commission to track the perpetrator. The three-term MP, who said this was his first experience with blackmail, voiced concern that such attempts could form part of a wider bid to intimidate lawmakers. “I echo Rafizi’s concerns that these attacks may be more sinister, possibly aimed at breaching our devices or undermining parliamentary democracy. I will not retreat and will continue my duties without fear or favour,” Wong said.

PETALING PKR lawmakers – Subang MP Wong Chen, Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli and Sungai Petani MP Mohammed Taufiq Johari – have been hit by cyber blackmailers using doctored or AI-generated pornographic images, with Wong dismissing the scam as “lazy and unprofessional”. Wong said the attempt surfaced on Sept 12 when his officer opened an email sent to the Subang parliamentary office complaints JAYA: Three