A bomb threat sent by email to The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey in Johor Bahru has been confirmed as a hoax after Malaysian police carried out a detailed security sweep of the popular shopping destination.
The threat was reported to police by the mall’s management at around 11.31pm on Sunday, Sept 13, prompting the deployment of bomb disposal teams from the Johor police headquarters and the South Johor Bahru district police headquarters.
Police searched both the interior and exterior areas of the mall in cooperation with its security personnel.
Suspicious objects found but no explosives detected
During the sweep, bomb disposal officers discovered several suspicious objects and examined them as part of the security operation.
However, none of the objects contained explosive materials.
Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arshad said no bomb threat was ultimately detected and the area was declared completely safe.
He stressed that police take all threats involving explosives seriously and will respond immediately to protect members of the public.
The public was also urged not to speculate or circulate unverified information about the incident, which could cause unnecessary confusion and alarm.
Mid Valley Southkey is a major Singaporean shopping destination
The incident occurred at one of Johor Bahru’s best-known shopping centres and a popular destination for visitors from Singapore.
Mid Valley Southkey is located relatively close to the Malaysia-Singapore border and regularly attracts Singaporean visitors for shopping, dining and entertainment.
The latest scare comes nearly three years after the mall was at the centre of another bomb scare in October 2023, when hundreds of shoppers and employees were evacuated following an anonymous threat.
Police subsequently searched the mall and nearby hotel and found no explosives.
The 2023 incident also triggered warnings against spreading false information after social media posts falsely claimed that multiple bombs had been discovered.
Another bomb scare hits Kuala Lumpur
The latest incident in Johor Bahru also came just one day before a separate bomb scare in Kuala Lumpur.
Police and emergency responders were deployed to the Sri Petaling area on Monday after a suspicious box was reported and a bomb threat was made.
Preliminary investigations in that case indicated that the threat was also a hoax.
The back-to-back incidents have drawn attention to the potential for false bomb threats to cause significant disruption, requiring authorities to deploy specialised personnel and emergency resources even when no explosives are ultimately found.
Police urge public to rely on verified information
Authorities have continued to stress that members of the public should avoid spreading unverified claims during security incidents.
False reports about bombs can create panic, disrupt businesses and trigger unnecessary emergency responses.
For the Mid Valley Southkey incident, police confirmed that the suspicious objects found during the inspection posed no explosive threat and that the premises had been declared safe.
The investigation into the threat remains a police matter, while authorities continue to assess the circumstances surrounding the email.
For shoppers and visitors, the immediate security scare has ended, with police confirming that Mid Valley Southkey is safe.
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