KUALA LUMPUR – Pas has called on the Home Ministry to explain an incident involving suspicious activities at Masjid Rusila, Marang, which raised safety concerns surrounding the party’s president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang.
Pas secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said the incident occurred on Sept 19 at the mosque located next to Hadi’s residence.
He said footage from the closed-circuit television (CCTV) showed suspicious movements by several unidentified individuals.
“Among the recordings, one shows three men dressed in casual clothes entering the women’s prayer area near the restroom in a hurried and suspicious manner. I was provided with the images.
“Another shows a silver car with two men parked beside the fence of the Marang MP’s (Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang) residence next to Masjid Rusila, in a suspicious manner,” he told reporters at Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.
According to the Kota Bharu MP, the CCTV also captured movements and behaviours that caused public anxiety and speculation about the safety of Hadi, his family and the surrounding community.
“This includes questions about the standard operating procedures used for training by agencies under the Home Ministry, especially those involving commando-style units.
"Therefore, an explanation from the Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, is greatly needed,” he said.
He alleged that all activities involving disguise, infiltration and unauthorised entry that appeared highly suspicious were conducted without any notification or application to the Masjid Rusila management before the day of the incident.
He added that the mosque management had filed a police report and submitted the CCTV footage to authorities for investigation.
However, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) director-general Maritime Admiral Datuk Mohd Rosli Abdullah has denied claims that the agency’s elite team conducted any raid at the mosque.
He said the accusations by Takiyuddin were “baseless and have tarnished the image of the security forces and the morale of the nation’s elite team.”
Rosli clarified that the activity mentioned was actually part of the agency’s Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) tactical training conducted by its Special Task and Rescue (Star) Team.
“The mosque was only used as a place to rest and perform prayers after Asar before the trainees continued with their next assignment.
"The mosque authorities were informed beforehand about their presence,” he said.
However, the Rusila Mosque Committee has refuted that claim, saying no permission or application had been received from the MMEA regarding the training.
Its chairman, Mohd Azri Abdul Aziz said the committee never received any written or verbal request from the agency regarding the exercise mentioned in the MMEA Director-General’s statement.