Perak police chief Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said the 35-year-old man, armed with a parang, had entered the army premises by climbing the fence at the front gate at 6.45pm.

“Soldiers at the guard post issued a warning for him to stop but he acted aggressively by attacking them with his weapon.

“In the ensuing struggle, the soldiers shot the man, who was then taken to Gerik Hospital by police. He was pronounced dead on arrival,” he said in a statement.

Mior Faridalathrash said investigations showed that the man joined the army in 2003 but his service was terminated in 2013 because he had mental health problems.

He said police had seized several items for investigation and were still trying to determine what triggered the attack by the man.

“We are waiting for a post-mortem report from the Forensic Department of Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh. This case is being investigated under Section 9 of the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act 1959.

“The completed investigation paper will be referred to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for further action.

“We hope no one speculates on this case as this might affect the investigation,” he added.