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No signs slain Paris gunman and fugitive lover were here: Malaysia police

KUALA LUMPUR — Police in Malaysia have found no evidence that Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman from Friday’s (Jan 9) deadly Paris supermarket siege and his now-fugitive girlfriend, Hayat Boumeddiene, had been to Malaysia, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said yesterday.

Amedy Coulibaly (left) and Hayat Boumddiene, two suspects named by police as accomplices in a kosher market attack on the eastern edges of Paris on Jan 9, 2015. Photo: AP/Prefecture de Police de Paris

Amedy Coulibaly (left) and Hayat Boumddiene, two suspects named by police as accomplices in a kosher market attack on the eastern edges of Paris on Jan 9, 2015. Photo: AP/Prefecture de Police de Paris

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KUALA LUMPUR — Police in Malaysia have found no evidence that Amedy Coulibaly, the gunman from Friday’s (Jan 9) deadly Paris supermarket siege and his now-fugitive girlfriend, Hayat Boumeddiene, had been to Malaysia, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said yesterday.

Mr Khalid took to Twitter in the evening to address a report by British tabloid The Daily Mail that cited neighbours of the couple as saying the two had once vacationed together in Malaysia.  His Twitter post indicated that there was no evidence that showed the couple had ever entered the country. He, however, did not indicate or elaborate on how far back was the police search done. 

“Paris attack ― Checks by @PDRMsia resulted, Amedy and his wife Hayat have never entered M'sia.” Mr Khalid posted on his personal Twitter page.

However, sources told The Malaysian Insider that police are also awaiting additional information on the duo as it was difficult to carry out checks to verify the reports based only on their names.

"Neither Amedy Coulibaly nor Hayat Boumeddiene figure prominently on the list of international terror suspects," said a source. "We are waiting for more information from French authorities," the source added, declining to elaborate further.

Coulibaly was killed by French police after he took customers at supermarket in Vincennes hostage while armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle. He was suspected ally of the Kouachi brothers who perpetrated a deadly massacre at the office of French weekly Charlie Hebdo. Boumeddiene, who is on the run and reported to be armed and dangerous, is wanted by French authorities in connection with the slaying of a policewoman.

Earlier, The Daily Mail reported the couple’s neighbours in Bagneux, France as saying that the two had once taken a holiday here together, but did not provide further details of the purported trip.

Three suspected Islamists descended on the office of satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo on Jan 7 and gunned down 12 people including the magazine’s staff and police officers over its provocative depictions of Prophet Muhammad. Altogether 17 victims have died along with the three hostage-takers since Wednesday.

This is not the first time that Malaysia has figured prominently in terror suspects' list of holiday destinations. After Sept 11, 2001, several South-east Asian nations including Malaysia gained notoriety as the launching-pad for terrorism and network of Al-Qaeda operatives. 

It was reported that several high-level Al-Qaeda operatives held a meeting in Kuala Lumpur between Jan 5 and 8, 2000. The meeting had reportedly been held in the hotel room of Yazid Shufaat, a former Malaysian Army captain. The purpose of the meeting was allegedly to plan future attacks, which included the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole and the Sept 11, 2001 US commercial airliner hijacking and attack plot.

Those who attended the meeting included Riduan Isamuddin @ Hambali, Ramzi Al-Shibh, Nawaf Al-Hazmi, Khalid Al-Mihdhar and Tawfiq Attash. AGENCIES

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