Malaysian police shot a sword-wielding couple at the prime minister's department in the country's administrative capital.
The male attacker later died in hospital, police said in a statement. The couple had appeared at a complex of the prime minister’s department which houses the economic planning unit, among others, and waved their swords in an aggressive manner.
Guards refused to allow them to enter. The couple suddenly brandished their swords at the guards, entered the complex area and smashed the windscreens of cars parked nearby, police said. Police said they were forced to open fire as the pair became more agitated after attempts to calm them down failed. The man was shot in the arm while the woman was hit in the leg.
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Scene of the crime: Malaysia’s forensic experts examine a sword seized from a couple outside the prime minister's department. Police shot the couple and the man later died in hospital. Pic/AFP
They were admitted to a local hospital where the male attacker was confirmed dead on arrival. The assailant was an unemployed 47-year-old identified as Khalil Afandi Abdul Hamid and was believed to be a member of a deviant cult group.u00a0“His wife told police that he had claimed to be ‘Imam Mahadi’ or ‘messenger of God,’ said Abdul Razak Majid, the police chief in the Malaysian administrative capital of Putrajaya.
Khalil, who blogged under the name Jaya Negara — or Successful Nation in Malay — had posted a message last month calling on Muslims to abide by the teachings of Allah and to refrain from immoral activities. u00a0An official with the prime minister’s department confirmed the incident and said Prime Minister Najib Razak’s office was in the adjacent building.u00a0
The official, who declined to be named, said that Najib was in his office during the incident in Putrajaya, the new administrative capital some 30 kilometres from Kuala Lumpur. The incident comes as election fever heats up with the opposition gearing to wrest power from Mr Najib's ruling National Front coalition which has been in power for the last 50 years.u00a0
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