KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Razarudin Husain, has refuted claims made by US-based academic Ahmet T Kuru, who alleged that he was approached and investigated by the authorities.
According to a report by Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Kuru, the Turkish-American director of Islamic and Arabic studies at San Diego State University, asserted that he was on the brink of arrest at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) yesterday.
He claimed that individuals, identifying themselves as policemen, approached him while he was waiting to board a flight to Lahore.
The report said Kuru alleged that a "tall plainclothes policeman" sat beside him and accused him of being a terrorist. He claimed that an attempt was made to snatch his passport but was thwarted when he raised his voice.
Meanwhile, Razarudin told FMT that Malaysian authorities had no intention of arresting Kuru and that checks revealed no evidence of police approaching him as described.
"We had no issue with him," Razarudin was quoted as saying.
Kuru gained attention after the cancellation of his book launch, initially scheduled at the International Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies Malaysia on Monday.