Mid Valley Southkey Given All-Clear After Fake Bomb Threat, Business Resumes Today
Shoppers at Mid Valley Southkey and the hotel guests nearby in Johor Baru were told to evacuate in the evening after the mall received an alleged bomb threat.
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The Mid Valley Southkey shopping centre in Johor Baru was evacuated around 6.45pm last night (14 October) after an alleged bomb scare.
Videos of shoppers exiting the mall were shared online. Some netizens at the scene said they were told to evacuate for unknown reasons.
🚨 JUST IN 🚨
— 🤎Arif E.🤎 (@arfdy12) October 14, 2023
The Midvalley Southkey Johor Bahru shopping centre here was evacuated for unknown reasons. pic.twitter.com/gOsjrlKxok
An eyewitness, Balbeer Singh Jessy, a 62-year-old lawyer and former journalist, told the Malay Mail that the evacuation order was given at 6.40pm after an alarm was triggered.
Balbeer said most shoppers were under the impression that it was a gas leak. The guards directed shoppers to the open-air car park in front of the mall’s main entrance.
Most shoppers were not that worried as they were told it was a gas leak. It was only after they were told it was a bomb threat.
@fatma_sofia Midvalley Southkey ada Kebakaran ke? #Midvalley ♬ original sound – Kak Sofia
More videos showed shoppers waiting by the roadside since they were unable to leave the area with their cars in the parking lot.
Shoppers had to wait for the authorities to declare the area safe before they could re-enter the mall to retrieve their cars.
Visitors at St Giles Hotel that’s adjacent to the mall were also asked to temporarily evacuate due to alleged security and safety concerns.
Mall businesses such as Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) updated their social media pages to update guests about the incident.
Consular assistance for Singaporean visitors
The Singapore High Commission in Kuala Lumpur and the Consulate-General in Johor Baru released an advisory for Singapore citizens visiting Mid Valley Southkey.
Singaporeans in the vicinity were reminded to exercise caution, monitor the local news, and heed the instructions of the local authorities.
Singaporean visitors are also strongly advised to e-register with MFA at https://eregister.mfa.gov.sg/eregisterportal/common/preLoginEregisterView.action if they haven’t done so.
If they need consular assistance, they are to contact the Consulate-General at +60 19 791 1166 or the 24-hour MFA Duty Office at +65 6379 8800 / 8855.
The mall has been given the all-clear
The police declared the premises safe for the return of tenants, employees, guests, and shoppers at 12.15am on 15 October.
The Malay Mail reports that business in the mall returned to normal today after getting the all-clear.
According to the police statement, the mall received an anonymous call, believed to be from a foreigner, about bombs being planted around the mall and hotel.
After sending in a team, the police did not find any suspicious objects and believed the mall received a fake bomb threat.
The case will be investigated under Section 507 of the Penal Code.
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