Royal revelation: Johor Crown Prince shares harrowing encounter at Siam Paragon shooting
Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, the Crown Prince of Johor, a state in southern Malaysia revealed the shooting at the Siam Paragon mall in Bangkok was “the worst experience I have ever gone through.”
Tunku Ismail, speaking from a hotel near the crime scene shooting in the Thai capital, was with his family to watch a football match between his team, Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT), and Thailand’s BG Prathum United FC. However, he had to miss the match due to the unexpected shooting incident at the Siam Paragon mall.
The Crown Prince said he, his wife and children were gathered in a hotel lobby ready to go to the game when the gunman opened fire. He said everything was in chaos and he heard a lot of screaming.
Tunku Ismail expressed the same opinion as many people at the scene, that he had no information. He was curious about how many gunmen were there, what weapons they had, and what situation inhe and his family faced.
Other people at the scene, especially foreigners, echoed the same sentiments, stating that they did not know exactly what had happened. They later learned that there was a shooting.
Tunku Ismail further explained that he, his family members and his security team rushed to the basement to get the car to leave the place.
Security team
The Crown Prince revealed that the moment he and his security team tried to protect the family was still fresh in his mind.
“I still have pictures of me telling my children, ‘Everything is going to be fine. Babah and Mummy are here’ and telling them to get down while waiting for the car. My security team and I stood in front of my family, creating a human shield to protect them at all costs.
“The idea was to get the family and my team out of there. My wife was hugging all our children, staying low and trying to calm them down because they were scared and crying.”
The Crown Prince said he initially wanted to seek refuge at the Malaysian Embassy, but the Singapore Embassy was closer. He contacted the Singapore Counsel General in Johor to inform the Thai embassy of his arrival.
Tunku Ismail revealed that he, his family and his security team were safe at the Singapore Embassy, and once the situation was stable, they immediately went to the airport and flew back to Malaysia, even though he had to miss the JDT game.
“Unfortunately, I missed the JDT match but I am happy that my family and our team are safe. This is the worst experience I have ever gone through. Protecting my children’s lives from a killer. Two people died. God bless their innocent souls.”
The Crown Prince also thanked the security team and the Singaporean and Malaysian authorities for their protection.
People were shouting and running into the hotel from the mall when the shooter started firing. It was loud and there was a lot of screaming. We were all sitting at the hotel lobby at that time.
We carried the kids/family to safety, running to the basement with my team, and the…
— HRH Crown Prince of Johor (@HRHJohorII) October 3, 2023
More arrest warrants issued for those involved
The Chinese and Burmese women lost their lives in the shooting, and five other victims were injured. The 14-year-old gunman has been transferred to the Juvenile Observation and Protection Centre, but questioning about his motive and relevant details has not yet taken place due to the gunman’s unstable mental state.
When the commissioner of the Royal Thai Police (RTP), Torsak Sukvimol, mentioned the gunman’s mental health problems, the investigating officer urged the court to allow the gunman to receive treatment for his mental health problems until he was able to go through the legal process.
However, the Central Juvenile and Family Court refused, stating that the investigating officer had not provided any medical professional or document confirming the gunman’s mental health problems.
Channel 7 also reported that police had already issued arrest warrants for three people involved in selling and modifying guns. Their identities have not yet been made public.
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