Suicide bombers confirmed to be Malaysians

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein today confirmed that the two suicide bombers involved in militant attacks in Iraq and Syria recently were Malaysians.

"Before this one of our citizens carried out a suicide bombing (in Iraq). Now two more.

"They are not only not afraid of dying but aimed to do something others will not even think of," he told reporters after attending a reception ceremony to welcome the Royal Malaysian Air Force's second Airbus A400M transport aircraft and opening the A400M Hangar at the Subang air base near here today.

Hishammuddin, however, declined to disclose the identities of the latest two Malaysian suicide bombers.

Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar had said police were still waiting for the official confirmation on the identities of the two suicide bombers.

According to a news report on Monday, two Malaysians blew themselves up causing the death of more than 30 people in Syria and Iraq in two incidents last week.

Mohd Amirul Ahmad Rahim, 26, who hailed from Terengganu, triggered a bomb strapped to himself in a car during a battle at the IS terrorist stronghold at Raqqa, Syria on Dec 29, the report said.

Mohamad Syazwan Mohd Salim, 31, who carried out the mission on Jan 3 was one of seven suicide bombers to infiltrate a police training centre at the Speicher military base, about 160km north of Baghdad, Iraq.