Malaysia arrests armed man suspected of being an Israeli spy

Malaysia has arrested an armed man at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, its top police official said, describing the 36-year-old as a suspected Israeli spy.

The man, who was found carrying six handguns and 200 bullets, had arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport from the United Arab Emirates on March 12 using what authorities believed to be a fake French passport, Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain told a press conference late on Friday.

The suspect turned over an Israeli passport upon questioning by police, Razarudin said.

Razarudin said police was investigating the possibility that the man could be a member of Israeli intelligence, though the suspect told authorities he had entered Malaysia to hunt down another Israeli citizen due to a family dispute.

“However, we do not fully trust this narrative as we suspect there may be another agenda,” Razarudin said, adding that the detained man had moved between several hotels during his time in Malaysia.

Police were also investigating how the suspect obtained the weapons, which were purchased in Malaysia and paid for with cryptocurrency, Razarudin said.

Authorities were on high alert following the arrest, with security beefed up for Malaysia’s king, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and other high-level figures, he added.

Malaysia, a majority-Muslim country, is a staunch supporter of the Palestinians and has criticised Israel’s actions in the Gaza war. Malaysia, which does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, is home to around 600 Palestinian refugees, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

In 2018, a Palestinian scientist was shot dead in the Malaysian capital by two unidentified men in a killing that the Hamas militant group suggested was carried out by Israel’s Mossad intelligence service. Israel denied the allegations.