Two police officers killed in suspected attack on Jemaah Islamiah in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Two police officers were killed and another injured in Malaysia’s Johor state on Friday morning when they were attacked by a man suspected of being a member of the al-Qaeda-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiah (JI), officials said.

JI is a militant group that seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in Southeast Asia.

Malaysia’s Inspector-General of Police, Razarudin Husain, said the suspect entered a police station in Johor’s Ulu Tiram town shortly after 2am (1800 GMT Thursday) armed with a mask and a machete.

A police officer approached the suspect, who killed the officer with the machete and confiscated his pistol. A gun battle ensued in which a second officer died and a third was injured, Razarudin said at a televised news conference.

The suspect was also killed in the shooting, Razarudin said.

The suspect, the son of a well-known JI member, had no criminal record, he said.

“We assume that he came to steal firearms from the police on his own initiative, which we have not yet determined.”

Police have arrested seven people in connection with the attack, including five family members of the attacker.

Reuters was unable to contact the detainees or their legal representatives.

Razarudin said he had also ordered investigations against all JI members in the state, adding that police had identified more than 20 people living in Johor.

JI is accused of orchestrating some of the deadliest militant attacks in neighboring Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed more than 200 people. Some of JI’s top leaders are known to use Malaysia as a base of operations.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has arrested hundreds of people over suspected militant activity since a 2016 attack in the capital Kuala Lumpur linked to the Islamic State. Arrests have largely declined in recent years due to regional crackdowns.