PETALING JAYA: A witness to the stabbing incident at a religious primary school in Kelana Jaya recounted hearing screams before discovering the headmistress and another woman covered in blood in the surau's restroom.
Salwiah Yusof, 37, a teacher at Sekolah Agama Rakyat Al-Ehsaniah, said the attack occurred while female teachers were preparing for the evening session and male teachers were at the mosque for Friday prayers.
"Before the incident, the woman in her 20s had stopped to perform Zohor prayers and entered the mosque's restroom.
"Suddenly, we heard her screams. The headmistress, who was nearby, ran to the restroom to investigate," she said.
According to Salwiah, the headmistress found the young woman struggling with the attacker, who had inflicted a stab wound on her stomach.
The headmistress tried to intervene but was also struck by the suspect, resulting in injuries to her hand.
"We immediately went to the scene after hearing the loud screams and saw the victims already injured while the man had fled," she said.
An ambulance was called, and both women were taken to Shah Alam Hospital for treatment.
Surau Al-Ehsaniah Ahmadiah chairman Roselee Mohamed, 70, said that the surau had three closed-circuit cameras (CCTV), but none were functioning at the time.
"There are three CCTV cameras, including one outside the surau, but they are no longer operational," he said.
"This is the first weapon-related incident we've had since the surau was established in 1987."
At the time of the attack, Roselee was at the mosque for Friday prayers.
He said that the surau was typically open for the convenience of worshippers.
Petaling Jaya Police Chief Assistant Commissioner Shahrulnizam Ja'afar confirmed that the suspect, believed to be a local man, is still at large.
He said that one woman sustained injuries to her stomach and head, while the teacher had a significant wound on her left arm.