Ex-M'sia minister Rafizi Ramli's son stabbed with syringe, wife threatened with AIDS, suspects link to scandal investigation

Malaysia's former economy minister Rafizi Ramli said his family was recently the target of a planned attack after his son was jabbed by an unknown man with a syringe outside a mall in Putrajaya, Malaysia on Aug. 13.

In a Facebook post on the same day, Rafizi said the family was about to enter their car to leave the premises when his son, 12, was suddenly dragged away by the assailant and stabbed with a syringe.

The attacker, along with another unknown man suspected to be his accomplice, were fully dressed in black and had their faces completely covered with helmets, he said.

They were allegedly found to have followed the family's car on a motorcycle, prompting Rafizi to suggest that they had planned the attack beforehand.

"They waited ahead and rushed to attack my child at a convenient time," he wrote.

Syringe contents unknown

Following the attack, Rafizi said his son was rushed to the hospital for treatment and the police was called to the scene immediately.

Malay Mail reported that the contents of the syringe remain unknown, but Rafizi confirmed his son would require repeated blood tests over six months to rule out the possibility of drugs, poison or viral infections.

"So far from observations we don’t see any effects so I take comfort [that] we can rule out drugs or poison," he said in a press conference on Aug. 14.

Wife also faced threats

On Aug. 14, Rafizi also revealed that his wife faced threats via messages from unknown numbers following the attack on their son.

Speaking at a press conference, he said that the first message, sent hours after the incident, read, "Be quiet, if you continue, AIDS."

A second text was sent in the morning of Aug. 14, with the same message but including syringe emojis, Malay Mail reported.

Whistleblowing case

Rafizi told the media that he believed the threats were meant to pressure his wife into convincing him to drop his investigations on an unidentified scandal, by targeting their son.

He confirmed that a group of whistleblowers had approached him a week before the attack with information of an undisclosed scandal.

"Last week, there was a group of whistleblowers who came to me regarding a scandal," he said, adding, "This is an attempt to shut my mouth, meaning there is something I’m looking at and this is a message [to me to take my hands off] from that matter."

Nonetheless, he reaffirmed that he would not budge in his stance.

"Whoever is behind this knows, usually when I begin to look at a scandal I will dig and dig and dig and at the same time people with information will come forward," Malay Mail quoted.

He added that he and his wife had faced similar threats throughout his 15 years of being a politician, including during his prison term in 2016, though this was the first time it involved his child.

"I will also not succumb to any threat and will continue to carry out my duties as usual," he said on Facebook.

Rising cases of extreme violence

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has condemned the attack as a "deeply worrying" reflection of the rise of extreme behaviours in the country.

He was referring to bullying cases in Malaysia that have resulted in deaths, such as the recent death of a 13-year-old girl in Sabah after alleged school bullying.

"This culture is deeply worrying. I give my assurance, as stated by the Home Minister and the police, that they will act swiftly, decisively and transparently to take action and put an end to this harmful culture," he said in parliament on Aug. 14, Bernama reported.

Earlier, Malaysia's Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail vowed in a statement that a thorough and fair investigation would be conducted on the attack on Rafizi's son.

"The safety of the people is the priority, and there will be no compromise on any form of violence or threats," he said, according to Bernama.

Top images via Rafizi Ramli/Facebook & Canva