IGP: Nothing wrong with Hamas leaders visiting if they come in peace

KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has said there was nothing wrong if Hamas leaders want to come to Malaysia to visit or meet locals in peace.
"If they come in peace and don't create any problems then what is the issue? We don't have a problem. This is a free country ... we will accept whoever that does not cause trouble," he said at a press conference yesterday at Bukit Aman.
He also quashed reports that a Hamas commander is believed to be in Malaysia.
"There is no evidence that he is here, but even so, what is the problem? he asked.
News reports in Israel on Wednesday claimed that Hamas commander Saleh al-Arouri is believed to be in Malaysia after being ejected from Qatar following the country's fallout with Saudi Arabia and four other Arab states over its ties with Iran and Islamist groups in the region.
Saleh al-Arouri who is Hamas West Bank military commander and several other Hamas heads were supposedly told to leave Doha.
Hamas has apparently denied the claim of its officials being forced out of Qatar.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General also warned Malaysians to be vigilant and be careful during the month of Ramadan as the likelihood of terrorist attacks brought on by the Daesh militants or IS is higher.
"These Daesh militants see the holy month of Ramadan as a time to Jihad more as they believe they will get more blessings (barakah). That is why we see these tragedies increasing all over the world like in London and Tehran for example. That is why we have to be more alert during Ramadan to stop things like this in our country," he said.
Khalid said that some 40,000 policemen will be on active duty during the festive period, adding that some 8,000 traffic police personnel will be on duty.
"40,000 is just the number of policemen on active duty, there are also those on standby, none of them were allowed to take leave during the festive period as we need to be prepared to handle threats from groups like IS etc, we cannot afford to slacken security during the festive period," he said.