MMEA director-general Rosli Abdullah said the allegation was not only baseless, but jeopardised the agency’s image and morale.

Rosli explained that a training exercise was ongoing at the time, involving MMEA’s special tasks and rescue team, but that the agency had not designated the mosque as an operations site.

“MMEA has never or will ever set a house of worship as an operations site. The mosque in question was only a place for our trainees to rest and perform their Asar prayers before receiving their next instructions,” he said.

Earlier today, Takiyuddin, who is also the Kota Bharu MP, claimed in the Dewan Rakyat that 10 to 15 individuals from MMEA in five vehicles entered the compound of Masjid Rusila on Sept 19 without permission.

He said this caused fear and concern among the congregants, and that the individuals in question claimed to be police.

“They entered the mosque wearing shoes, intruded on the women’s prayer area, and conducted searches, causing discomfort among the people there,” Malaysiakini reported him as saying.

However, Rosli said the mosque authorities had been informed earlier about the trainees’ presence, and that the trainees had not disturbed the congregants or prayers.

He said no violence or anything untoward had occurred as claimed, and emphasised that the trainees were merely there to perform their prayers.

Buletin TV3 also reported Rosli as saying that the police report lodged later had been resolved after the mosque authorities received an explanation and apologised for the misunderstanding.

Rosli said Takiyuddin’s allegation was slanderous, and that the training exercise was conducted in full compliance with standard operating procedures and under the eyes of senior trainers.