SEPANG: The bodyguard who was seriously injured in the shooting incident at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 early this morning was not supposed to be working, according to his colleague.

Mohd Affan Mohd Aris said the bodyguard, who is fondly known as ‘Along’, had to stand in for a woman colleague who was on Hari Raya Aidilfitri holiday.

Mohd Affan said that Along even had time to post a picture of him starting his duty in the WhatsApp group of the security company they work for.

“He (Along) even sent a picture of his work badge at 12.48 am, with the words ‘on duty at the last minute tonight’,” he told Bernama when met at the Cyberjaya Hospital here today.

Mohd Affan said Along also did not have time to reply to another colleague’s comment in the WhatsApp group asking if he (Along) needed additional help since it was the festive period.

Meanwhile, Along’s colleague, 29-year-old Nurhafiza Azizan, who was supposed to be the one on duty, said she probably could not have handled the situation as well as Along had if she had been working.

Earlier, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain urged the suspect in the KLIA Terminal 1 shooting incident to turn himself in.

He said the 38-year-old suspect should cooperate and surrender at any police station.

He added that police have launched a manhunt for the suspect and roped in CID personnel in neighbouring states for the operation, which will cover the country’s border areas.

In the 1.20 am incident, the suspect fired two shots at his wife at the entrance of the arrival hall but missed, with one of the shots hitting Along, who was one of her two bodyguards.

The suspect fled in a car parked at level two of Block C.