SHAH ALAM: Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail asked Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Razarudin Husain to boost security measures following three recent attacks against local football players.

Saifuddin Nasution said he was very confident in the request that he deemed was reasonable at this time.

“My request to the IGP this afternoon was to raise the level of security, not only for the three incidents that have occurred but for all involved... that’s the security guarantee that I gave just now.

“I have high hopes for the request that I feel is reasonable at this time, the police have other duties, and it will involve assignments to guarantee safety,” he told reporters at a private hospital here today after visiting Selangor FC winger Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim together with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.

Faisal was splashed with acid at a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya last Sunday and suffered fourth-degree burns as a result.

On his visit, Saifuddin Nasution said that specialist doctors informed him that Faisal Halim was in stable after undergoing his second operation yesterday.

“The panel of doctors informed me that Faisal’s physical condition is of an athlete at his optimum health... it brings relief as his response during the following treatment greatly depends on his physical condition.

“I signalled to him to tell him all Malaysians were praying for him and I could see in his eyes that he wanted to say so much more but I felt that telling him that was enough for now,” he said.

Faisal is one of three players who are victims of recent attacks against local footballers, the other two being Muhammad Akhyar Abdul Rashid who was injured in a mugging near his home on Thursday and Safiq Rahim, who was attacked by two men on a motorcycle in an incident that left the rear windscreen of his car smashed in Johor Bahru yesterday.