A firefighter wounded during a riot in Malaysia was hit by a fire pump but was not beaten: the temple task force

SUBANG JAYA: The firefighter who was injured in Tuesday's violence near Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Selangor was hit by a fire truck without being beaten by the rioters, the chairman of the temple task force said.

At a press conference held on Wednesday, November 28, President S Ramaji said that a video footage showed the crowd helping to rescue the firefighter.

He said the firefighter, Muhammad Adib Mohd Kassim, had come down from the vehicle before it suddenly turned around.

"Members of the public on the scene quickly transported the victim to the hospital," he said.

Muhammad Adib was part of a team deployed to extinguish burning vehicles during the second night of violence outside the temple. He suffered serious injuries but his condition is "stable," said a surgeon at the National Institute of Cardiology.

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A 30-second video of the incident became viral online.

"You can see on the video that the firefighter was hit by the fire that spilled suddenly and that he was thrown against a fire van located behind the fire," said VK Ragu, secretary of the temple working group.

He added that the crowd had tried to alert the fire department.

According to the head of the fire and rescue department, Mohammad Hamdan Wahid, Muhammad Adib was dragged out of the front passenger seat of the vehicle and assaulted.

He added that the rest of the team did not realize it before arriving at the Subang Jaya Fire Station.

"When they tried to call his cell phone, members of the public who responded to the call told them that the victim had been transported to the hospital," he said. .

"WE TRY OUR BEST TO FIND THE CULPRIT"

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad promised on Wednesday that the police would conduct a thorough investigation.

"We try our best to find the culprit. We do not have much evidence, but the police will conduct a thorough investigation to determine who is responsible, "he said at a press conference at the National Institute of Cardiology after have visited the injured firefighter.

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On the riots, Mahathir said, "We can protest, but it should be peaceful. This was not a demonstration. It was something to kill people. They came with parans and all kinds of weapons.

Interior Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said he had asked the Inspector General of Police, Mohamad Fuzi Harun, to use various means to locate the culprits.

"The police investigation is under way and we will use the police force to fingerprint the door of the fire and rescue vehicles to find the people involved.

"We will ensure that Muhammad Adib gets justice (…), we will identify those who attacked him and we will bring them to justice," he said.

A total of 30 people were arrested in connection with the riots, whereas they were only 21 on Tuesday.