BANDAR BAHARU: Police have nabbed the main mastermind behind the rioting at an Immigration detention depot in Relau here on Wednesday, which saw some 500 Rohingya ethnic detainees fleeing the facility.
Kedah police chief Commissioner Wan Hassan Wan Ahmad said the 34-year-old suspect was detained with another detainee on suspicion of conspiring to provoke other detainees to stage the riot.
"These two are the primary suspects who masterminded the riot and we are looking for two more prime suspects," he told reporters here today.
Wan Hassan said police were tracking down the other two suspects who are among the 96 detainees still at large.
He said investigations revealed that the mastermind had been detained at the depot for over three years.
"He was transported here from Semenyih Depot three years ago.
"As for now, we believe his major motivation behind orchestrating the riot was to create an opening to flee from the depot. That was the same reasons for the other detainees to take part in the plot," he said.
Wan Hassan added police were also investigating the other aspects behind the incident.