'Datuk Seri' escapes assassination attempt

CHERAS: A businessman who had in the past been probed by police for alleged underworld activities, cheated death when two assailants rained gunfire on his vehicle today.
The 57-year-old victim, who is a "Datuk Seri", escaped the apparent assassination attempt during which no less than eight shots were fired, with just some light injuries on his hands, legs and head.
"The injuries were from the pieces of broken glass shattered by the gunshots," said city Criminal Investigations Department (CID) chief SAC Datuk Zainuddin Ahmad.
The incident occurred about 1.30pm when the businessman, who was accompanied by two bodyguards, was in his black Toyota Vellfire heading to the city centre from Kajang.
The vehicle was approaching the Jalan Loke Yew roundabout when two masked assailants fired several shots at it from a nearby flyover.
The shots, believed to have been fired from automatic weapons, hit the vehicle's left passenger window and sunroof.
The driver immediately drove to the Cheras police headquarters to seek protection and lodge a police report.
Zainuddin said the victim told police he saw the two suspects, who were wearing masks, escaping on a motorcycle, using a flyover heading towards Jalan Hang Tuah.
Three of the businessman's friends, who were in a separate vehicle, travelling behind his car, escaped injuries.
Police are investigating the motive behind the shooting under Section 307 of the Penal Code, for attempted murder.
It is learnt that this was the second murder attempt on the Datuk Seri, a former Emergency Ordinance (EO) detainee who is alleged to be one of the four underground "Heavenly Kings of Kuala Lumpur".
Two years ago, while he was being driven in his Jaguar by Taman Taynton View in Cheras, a bomb attached to the undercarriage of the car was detonated.
The explosion ripped through the vehicle but both the businessman and his driver escaped unhurt.