Johor MB checks out reopened JB mall, declares it ‘safe’ after bomb scare
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi made a personal inspection of the Mid Valley Southkey mall and Hotel St. Giles Southkey in the state capital this morning after police closed it off yesterday evening following a security threat.
He declared the area to be safe after police combed the premises following an anonymous phone call that made to the mall about a bomb threat.
“The entire building area of the shopping centre and hotel was searched by the bomb disposal unit and the sniffer dog unit (K9).
“Syukur Alhamdulillah, the inspection found no suspicious objects and confirmed that it is safe to operate as usual,” he posted on his official Facebook page.
Onn Hafiz thanked the police, the state Fire and Rescue Department and everyone who helped in the investigation.
In a separate statement this morning, the Mid Valley Southkey mall management said it had been given the all clear from Johor Baru South police chief Assistant Commissioner Raub Selamat to reopen its premises for business.
Hundreds of people were evacuated from the mall premises and the adjacent St Giles Hotel Southkey at about 6.40pm yesterday after an alarm was triggered, believed to have been caused by a bomb scare.
Lawyer and former journalist Balbeer Singh Jessy, who was among those evacuated to the open-air car park in front of the mall’s main entrance, told Malay Mail yesterday that the evacuation order came at 6.40pm after an alarm was triggered.
The 62-year-old said shoppers were initially under the impression that there was a gas leak, but were later told that it was a bomb threat.
The Johor Fire and Rescue Department also affirmed yesterday when contacted that they had responded to a bomb threat at the mall, and said the matter was being handled by the police.
The Mid Valley SouthKey mall is located within the SouthKey development, which also includes the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre, Johor Baru, two office towers and one hotel tower.
Many people who had parked their vehicles at the mall and hotel compound were stuck for several hours while investigators combed the grounds, but were able to leave the same day.
The Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Baru had also warned Singaporeans who could be in the area to exercise caution and register their presence if they needed its diplomatic services.
Many Singaporeans shop in the area as their country is just across the narrow Johor strait.
