Malaysia’s border chief charged with assaulting police in viral airport clash
Por Iman Muttaqin Yusof — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement Malaysia This Week in Asia People Malaysia’s border chief charged with assaulting police in viral airport clash
Facing up to a year in prison over a KLIA confrontation, top official Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain’s defence has downplayed the charges as a petty offence
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Iman Muttaqin Yusof in Kuala Lumpur Published: 11:58am, 21 Oct 2026 Updated: 12:48pm, 21 Oct 2026 Malaysia ’s border control chief pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to two charges of assaulting junior police officers at the country’s main international airport last month, after a video of the confrontation went viral.
Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, director general of the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency, was filmed confronting two men at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on September 28. He previously linked the incident to an operation against airport touts following complaints about smuggling syndicates at the airport.
The former national criminal investigation chief entered his plea before magistrate Khairatul Animah Jelani at the Sepang Magistrate’s Court.
According to the charge sheets seen by This Week in Asia, Shuhaily, 54, was accused of voluntarily causing hurt to two junior officers, Lance Corporals Muhammad Ekmal Sofwan Dirman and Mohamad Faiz Saman, between 1.27pm and 1.35pm on September 28 near Counter J on Level 5 of Terminal 1.
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