Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar both refuted the report, with Zahid adding that there was no record of Hamas commander, Saleh al-Arouri, entering the country.
“We have checked the leader’s name with intelligence and in the immigration department system.
“And I would like to confirm that he is not in Malaysia,” Zahid was quoted as saying at a press conference after attending a breaking of fast event at the police training centre (Pulapol) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Meanwhile, according to theSun, Khalid just said the report was not true, as Saleh was not in the country.
An online news source in Israel had reported yesterday that Saleh’s expulsion from Qatar was in the wake of the current Middle-East crisis, with Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cutting off all diplomatic ties with Qatar.
The report said that the Hamas commander had then flown to Malaysia, adding that it was possible that other Hamas officials were also seeking refuge in Malaysia, Turkey and Lebanon.