Tahfiz tragedy: Seven facts in connection to teens' arrests

The following are seven simple facts from the media conference by Kuala Lumpur Chief Police, Datuk Amar Singh Ishar Singh in connection with the fire tragedy at Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah on Thursday.

The fire claimed 23 lives including 21 students and two teachers.

1. Mocking remarks between several tahfiz students and a group of local teenagers led to the revenge arson attack.

2. Aged between 11 and 18, the seven suspects are out-of-school children. The teens were remanded for seven days until Sept 22.

3. Six of them are tested positive for drugs, while two have old criminal records.

4. Police had confirmed that two gas tanks were retrieved from the lower ground to the upper level of the centre.

5. Police have also confiscated five clothing items, four helmets, three motorcycles and three mobile phones belonging to the suspects.

6. Tahfiz students who were detained previous were not suspects, did not know suspects and escaped the fire as they were sleeping at the surau the day the centre caught on fire.

7. The closed-circuit television camera at a nearby premises led to the arrests of all the suspects.