One killed dozens injured in grenade explosion at popular Malaysian tourist district

[SoleSurvivor]

One killed, dozens injured in grenade explosion at popular Malaysian tourist district

One dead and a dozen injured, including two Chinese nationals, in blast outside a pub in bustling tourist district of Kuala Lumpur

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 09 October, 2014, 4:25pm
UPDATED : Friday, 10 October, 2014, 3:14am

Agence France-Presse in Kuala Lumpur

Bomb squad officers at the scene of the grenade attack outside the Sun Complex in the Bukit Bintang district of Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AFP

A man was killed and a dozen others wounded, including two Chinese nationals, when a hand grenade exploded early yesterday in a tourist section of Malaysia's capital.

Police suspect the attack was related to a gangland turf battle.

Officers said a car park attendant died of his injuries in hospital following the predawn blast outside a pub in the bustling Bukit Bintang neighbourhood, a popular area for shopping, dining and nightlife.

"We believe it was a hand grenade that was placed in front of a pub," Kuala Lumpur police chief Tajudin Mohamad Isa said, noting that an unexploded grenade was also found.

Zainol Samah, police chief of the district where the incident took place, said there was a total of 13 casualties.

In addition to the car park attendant, who was Malaysian, eight other Malaysians were hurt along with the two Chinese nationals, one Singaporean, and one Thai, he said.

Police said the motive for the attack was still being investigated, but a top police official said a gangland feud was suspected.

Police work at the scene of the grenade attack in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Reuters

A badly damaged minivan at the scene was roped off.

This type of incident is generally rare in Muslim-majority Malaysia, but public concern has steadily grown over rising crime.

That concern spiked last year with an explosion of gun violence that authorities blamed on rival gangs battling over turf, prompting a tough crackdown by police.

Authorities have also warned recently of the potential for Islamic militant violence, after saying scores of Malaysians had joined the civil war in Syria.

Officials fear they will become radicalised there by the Islamic State (IS) group and bring back violent extremist views or inspire anti-Western attacks by supporters in Malaysia, where a moderate brand of Islam prevails. In August, police said they had arrested 19 people in an amateurish IS-inspired plot to carry out a wave of bombings in Malaysia.

A forensics police officer collects broken shards of glass from an awning. Photo: Reuters

Police officials have so far said there was no indication of terrorist involvement in yesterday's grenade blast.

The grenades were not made in Malaysia, the head of the city's Criminal Investigation Department Gan Kong Meng said.

"We believe the motive is revenge and more than one person is involved in this," Gan said. "The police will investigate all angles."

The explosion yesterday may further hurt arrivals to a country that has suffered from visitors cancelling trips after two air disasters and a series of kidnappings this year. Malaysia's tourist arrivals from China dropped 32 per cent in May from a year earlier, after a 20 per cent decline in April.

Prime Minister Najib Razak pledged to boost resources to fight violent crime and introduce additional legislation in parliament after the founder of a local bank was shot dead in a car park in July 2013.

The level of dissatisfaction about personal security among US companies in the Southeast Asian nation rose to 42 per cent from 31 per cent a year ago, according to a survey by the American-Malaysian Chamber of Commerce published last month.

Additional reporting by Bloomberg