KOTA KINABALU: Police are still in the process of ascertaining the identity of a man who took a child hostage during a dramatic standoff at Taman Telipok Ria in Tuaran, yesterday.
The man, in his 30s, was shot dead after negotiations with police to release the 2-year-old girl broke down.
Authorities believe that the man was a foreigner, as he carried no identification documents.
During the tense negotiations yesterday, it was also discovered that the man spoke only the Suluk language, and required interpreters to communicate with the police.
“The man mentioned the name ‘Rashid’ during the negotiations (and we are trying to determine who he was referring to),” said Sabah police commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah.
He said the man’s fingerprints, DNA and mobile phone were sent to relevant authorities for identity verification.
Meanwhile, Omar said the toddler who was taken hostage suffered no serious injuries.
During the standoff, the man had held a knife to the girl’s neck, which caused several cuts.
Omar also quashed rumours that the hostage-taker had severed four of her fingers.
“She is stable and the injuries inflicted by the knife did not cause any serious damage.
“Her fingers are still there and intact,” he said at a press conference here, adding that he visited the girl at the Tuaran Hospital yesterday.
Omar said police have yet to establish a motive for the crime, but refuted speculation that the man was a relative of the girl’s family; and that he was a resident of the apartment where they live.
He added that the hostage-taking incident was the first such case to have occurred in the area, but assured the public that police will increase patrols and operations to safeguard residents’ safety.