Gunmen take two hostage after arms heist in Malaysia

Gunmen take two hostage after arms heist in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): Thieves who stole a major weapons
cache from two Malaysian army camps by posing as military
officers have taken two men hostage, police said on Tuesday.

Inspector General of Police Norian Mai said the armed men, who
made off with the arms in a pre-dawn heist on Sunday, seized the
two men before police discovered the outlaws' hideout.

The two men were picking durian fruit in the western state of
Perak before they were captured, the official Bernama news agency
quoted Norian as saying. It was not immediately clear when they
were seized.

A combined police-military manhunt led the security forces to
the thieves' hideout near Sauk, about 250 km north of the capital
Kuala Lumpur and 60 km from the site of the theft.

Norian denied earlier police statements that security forces
and the gunmen fought a 90-minute gunbattle before dawn on
Tuesday. Residents said they heard gunfire in the area overnight.

"There was no exchange of fire," Bernama quoted him as saying.
"We believed they fired on their own, just to shoot. Maybe they
want to familiarize themselves with the arsenal."

Asked if there were any casualties, Norian said: "So far not
on our side. I don't know on their side."

Clampdown

Security forces cordoned off the area, dotted with rubber and
durian trees, following the discovery of three vehicles which the
thieves were believed to have used in the heist.

"We believe the arms and ammunition are still with them,"
Norian said, adding that he believed the motive of the arms haul
was "purely criminal".

On Sunday, 15 men impersonating senior army officers seized
the arms, including M16s, Steyrs and thousands of bullets in a
sting one newspaper said left the country red faced.

Officials said the thieves -- dressed in uniforms with ranks
of captain, major and lieutenant colonel complete with military
berets and epaulets -- arrived at the two camps before dawn on
Sunday on the pretext of conducting weapons checks.

When the sentries at the camps tried to verify their
authority, the impersonators pulled rank and insisted they be
taken to the armory. They drove off with their loot in three
Pajero vans bearing military insignia, witnesses said.

"We believe some among them have knowledge of military
affairs, as obvious from the methods of their raid," Norian said.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the theft could have been
politically motivated.

The scale of the crime was unusual in Malaysia, a largely
peaceful country of 22 million people, and raised questions over
its motive.

In August last year, another weapons theft occurred at a
military camp in Perak. In that incident, four Steyr assault
rifles were taken and police recovered them after a shoot-out
with a group of bank robbers.

Unlike some of its neighbors, Malaysia does not face
separatist rebellions or disgruntlement in military ranks.

Although Mahathir said on Monday it was possible the arms
heist was politically motivated, he said there was no proof. He
said he feared that the stolen weapons might be sold for profit.

Lim Kit Siang, national chairman of the opposition Democratic
Action Party, called on Mahathir's cabinet to apologize to the
nation and for Defense Minister Najib Razak to resign "for gross
negligence".

Najib, who called the heist "sleek, cleverly planned and
executed", said he would make a statement on Wednesday. Local
newspapers, usually restrained in criticism of the government,
trained their sights on the defense forces.

"Whoever is in charge of security in our military
installations should stand up," The New Straits Times said. "He
or they should come forward with a detailed explanation and
accept blame for the patent lack of vigilance in our army camps."

The newspaper, close to the government, did not spare Najib.

"Najib, too, should ultimately be held accountable. Anything
less would be untenable, unacceptable and scandalous."

The Star daily said the security foul-up, which took place
when defense ministers from Britain, Australia and New Zealand
were visiting Kuala Lumpur ahead of a meeting in Singapore, had
left the nation red faced.