A murder attempt occured at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on 14 April.
At 1:20 am, Mr Hafizul Harawi threw two firecrackers and injured two members of the public before moving in at close range (about three to four metres away) to open fire at his wife, Ms Farah Md Isa.
38-year-old Mr Hafizul fired two shots at Ms Farah. One bullet hit one of her two personal bodyguards while the other missed her.
Ms Farah’s bodyguard, Mr Mohd Nur Hadith, was shot in the abdomen. Though the bullet reportedly missed his vital organs, he was still severely injured.
The suspect then fled the scene and is believed to have headed to the north of Malaysia.
Although the police are confident he is still in the country, police in the northern state of Perlis have tightened surveillance along the border with Thailand to ensure he does not escape.
The bodyguard’s wife, who wants to be identified only as Siti Noraida, was informed that her husband was in critical condition and needed to be put in a medically induced coma.
Ms Siti told Malaysian news agency Bernama that her husband was assigned as a part-time bodyguard before the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which concluded about a week ago.
Ms Siti is a mother of three, and is also currently pregnant.
Ms Farah’s Bodyguard, Mr Mohd Nur Hadith
Mr Mohd Nur Hadith was assigned with the job of protecting Ms Farah, who was listed as a high-risk client, due to his training and extensive experience.
The 37-year-old has been working with Elite Bodyguard Service Company for the past four years and has 18 years of experience as a bodyguard.
Mr Nur’s colleagues told Bernama that he was not supposed to be working on the day of the shooting, but had to stand in for another colleague who was on holiday because of Hari Raya Aidilfitri (also known as Hari Raya Puasa).
Shooter Is Still At Large
Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said the suspect used a 9mm semi-automatic pistol believed to have been purchased illegally from a neighbouring country.
The Malaysian police have classified the suspect as armed and dangerous.
Anyone who spots him is urged to share the information with the police but not to act alone.
The case is currently being investigated as attempted murder.
The Couple Are Business Partners
Mr Hafizul and Ms Farah are business partners and own a travel agency together.
Their agency specialises in Muslim pilgrimages to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
On the day of the shooting, Ms Farah was at the airport to receive Muslim pilgrims returning from Mecca.
Mr Hafizul Has A Criminal Record
The Malaysian police revealed that Mr Hafizul has had reports lodged against him since 2016.
His wife, Ms Farah, had also made two reports for criminal intimidation, the latest in December 2023.
Ms Farah then hired personal bodyguards.
The police had also previously investigated Mr Hafizul for theft and impersonating a public officer.
The couple was also in the midst of a divorce.
As the shooting is unrelated to terrorist activities or groups and originated from a personal issue, KLIA is said to be secure and under control.
However, as this is not the first time a security breach has occured at KLIA, security measures there will be reviewed.
On 13 February 2017, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s estranged half-brother, Mr Kim Jong Nam, was assassinated at KLIA by a Vietnamese woman who covered his face with a cloth drenched in liquid VX.
VX, short for “venomous agent X”, is one of the best known of the V nerve agents.
The substance is extremely deadly, and is even more potent than sarin.
VX fatalities occur with exposure to tens of milligram quantities via inhalation or absorption through skin.
On exposure, VX severely disrupts the body’s signaling between the nervous and muscular systems, leading to a prolonged neuromuscular blockade, flaccid paralysis of all the muscles in the body including the diaphragm, and death by asphyxiation.