KLIA altercation: Special Branch duo sue MCBA chief Shuhaily for assault, defamation

Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency chief Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain addresses the viral KLIA incident during a press conference in Putrajaya October 1, 2026. — Bernama pic

By Malay Mail

First Published: Thursday, 05 Nov 2026 9:06 AM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — Two Special Branch policemen have filed a civil lawsuit against Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, suing him in his personal capacity for alleged assault, battery, false imprisonment, and defamation following an altercation at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Lance Corporals Muhammad Ekmal Sofwan Dirman and Mohamad Faiz Muhamad Saman initiated the tort action at the Sepang Sessions Court yesterday, naming the border agency chief as the sole defendant while excluding the federal government from the suit, NST reported.

Their counsel, Kamal Hisham Ja'afar and Muhammad Nor Tamrin, confirmed that the action pursues general, special, exemplary, and aggravated damages.

The civil lawsuit escalates the legal scrutiny surrounding Shuhaily, who was charged at the Sepang Magistrate's Court on Oct 21 with two criminal counts of voluntarily causing hurt under Section 323 of the Penal Code. Shuhaily pleaded not guilty to both charges and remains out on court bail.

According to the statement of claim, both plaintiffs were deployed as Travel Control Officers at KLIA Terminal 1 on Sept 28, tasked with security surveillance during Shuhaily's working visit to inspect border entry protocols for arriving Formula One contingents.

At around 1.27pm, the officers allegedly witnessed Shuhaily angrily confronting a civilian during a document check inside an enclosed inspection area near Counter J on Level 5.

Faiz captured photographs of the incident for internal intelligence logs, prompting MCBA deputy director-general for operations Datuk Mohd Nasaruddin M. Nasir to seize the mobile phone before escorting both policemen directly to Shuhaily.

The plaintiffs alleged that upon discovering they were Special Branch personnel, Shuhaily grew incensed, questioned why police intelligence was monitoring MCBA personnel, and initiated a physical confrontation.

In their pleadings, the plaintiffs alleged that Shuhaily headbutted Ekmal four times before turning on Faiz, grabbing both of his ears and violently shaking his head, an ordeal that left them terrified and fearing for their physical safety.

The lawsuit also targets statements made by Shuhaily during a media briefing on Oct 1, accusing him of defaming the two officers by publicly implying that they had deliberately sabotaged border operations and recorded the altercation to tarnish the reputation of the agency and its leadership.

The plaintiffs contended that the remarks damaged their professional integrity and caused severe distress among their peers and families.