A popular mall in Johor Bahru was evacuated on Saturday evening (Oct 14) after an alleged bomb scare, Malaysian media reported.
Mid Valley Southkey shopping centre’s management received a phone call at around 6pm from a man who threatened to put a bomb in the mall.
The caller said he is a foreigner, and he reportedly wanted Malaysia to stop supporting the Palestinians in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, according to China Press and Sin Chew Daily, which quoted Johor Baru southern district police chief Raub Selamat.
The assistant commissioner added that some 9,000 people were evacuated from the mall.
In a Facebook post on Saturday night, the management of the mall confirmed that it had “received a report of security threat via an anonymous phone call”.
“We were instructed by the authorities to evacuate the affected areas as a proactive measure,” the statement said.
Johor police chief Kamarul Zaman Mamat said police have been searching the mall, Free Malaysia Today reported.
They also imposed a 100m-wide cordon to prevent people from entering the area.
The police were also looking at CCTV footage, Mr Kamarul said, and he urged the public to remain calm.
On social media, shoppers at the six-storey mall said they were told to leave the premises without being given a specified reason.
Several videos and photos on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, earlier showed hundreds of people gathered by roads around the mall.
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They said they could not leave the area because their cars were still in the mall’s carpark.
The mall’s management has since told affected shoppers that they could “follow the instructions from the ground staff for directions to enter the carpark” to retrieve their cars.
Opened in 2019, the sprawling Mid Valley SouthKey mall is frequented by Singaporeans, especially during the weekends and school holidays.
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In a statement on Facebook, the Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Bahru said it is aware of reports that visitors to the mall as well as the nearby St Giles Hotel have been asked to evacuate temporarily due to security and safety concerns.
“Singaporeans in the vicinity are advised to exercise caution, monitor the local news, and heed the instructions of the local authorities,” the statement said.
They are also strongly encouraged to e-register with MFA if they have not done so.
Those who need urgent consular assistance can contact the Consulate-General at +60-19-7911166 or the 24-hour Ministry of Foreign Affairs Duty Office at +65-6379-8800/8855.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.