Four men detained over assault of man in front of surau

The incident is believed to have started during Friday prayer when a motorist sounded the horn of his vehicle in front of the surau

JOHOR BAHRU: Four men were detained by the police early today for investigation into an assault on a man in front of a surau in Taman Austin Perdana here yesterday.

Johor Criminal Investigation Department head Kamarul Zaman Mamat said the suspects, aged between 21 and 55, were arrested at about 1am in front of the surau under Section 147 of the Penal Code for rioting.

The incident, which had been viralled on the social media, was believed to have started during Friday prayer when a motorist sounded the horn of his vehicle in front of the surau which was congested with traffic.

Kamarul Zaman advised the public to not viral the incident or make any comments that could worsen the situation.

The man was assaulted by members of the public after allegedly honking his car in the midst of Friday prayers at the surau.

The incident, which was recorded by passers by on mobile phones, went viral on Facebook, Youtube and WhatsApp application.

Based on the videos, the driver was seen being chased by the public before he attempted to reverse his car which almost hit the people nearby and other vehicles.

There was also a man seen assaulting the driver using a traffic cone.

A witness, Muhammad Akmal Bakar, 18, said he heard the continuous sound of honking car during the prayers.

“The sound, which lasted over two or three minutes, was very loud and (that had) interrupted the prayers,” said the Form Six student who was at the surau for Friday prayers for the first time.

Muhammad Akmal said he saw several people slamming their hands on the car and chasing after the vehicle.

“The car was moving forward and back twice with speed. there were other individuals slamming the car using helmets,” he said, adding that other congregation members were also seen trying to calm down the situation.

Meanwhile, Kamarul said the 28-year-old driver, who sustained injuries in his head and body, had lodged a police report at the Setia Indah Police Station here.

“The incident was due to traffic congestion and obstruction in front of the surau which made it difficult for the driver to move. As a result, the driver honked (his car) and this had caused anger among the congregation,” he said.

The case is being investigated under Section 147 of the Penal Code.

Bernama