IGP says foreign spies might be in Malaysia, but intelligence reports shows no locals are agents

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — Foreign intelligence agents, including Israel’s Mossad, could have infiltrated Malaysia to carry out spying activities, Utusan Malaysia reported today.

However, the newspaper cited Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain as saying that Malaysian intelligence reports show that no locals have turned agents as those hired by the foreigners were only given certain tasks and did not know the true identities of their employers.

“This happened to a group of 11 Malaysians, masterminded by a woman, who were involved in the kidnapping a Palestinian man to obtain information related to a mobile phone hacking software in September last year.

“The main suspect, who works as a private investigator, was hired and paid generously by overseas parties who were actually foreign intelligence agents before the group were arrested by the police," Razarudin was quoted as saying.

Razarudin said police constantly conduct intelligence and monitoring activities to ensure that national security is guaranteed.

“If there are threatening elements, the police will of course take appropriate action," he was quoted as saying.

In October last year, 10 men and a woman were charged in the Magistrate's Court here on charges of kidnapping a Palestinian man to solicit information on software to hack mobile phones.

They were involved in a brazen snatch-and-grab operation where they intercepted a Palestinian computer programmer.

Media reports later revealed that Mossad agents had engaged the Malaysians to track down and abduct the Palestinian they believed to be assets of Hamas, which is the de facto Palestinian government.