Inspector General of Police Ismail Omar says his men may have been lured in by decoys and fired upon as they entered the water village.
TAWAU: Police searching for a group of gunmen in Kampung Sri Jaya in the Simunul area in Semporna may have walked into a trap that was set for them.According to sources, the gunmen appeared ready for the police raid and opened fire as the police were on the narrow single-plank walkways linking the various houses on stilts.
Five policemen, including an officer, and two unidentified gunmen were killed during the firefight that occurred around 7pm yesterday.
Police have encircled the village, one of many that are perched on stilts over the sea, to track down remaining gunmen.
Inspector General of Police Ismail Omar confirmed that his men may have been lured in by decoys and fired upon as they entered the water village.
He said that police had moved in based on a tip off that there were armed men in the vicinity.
“Based on this information, a police team from the Semporna district police headquarters entered the place but were ambushed when they arrived,” he told a press conference in Felda Sabahat Residence, Lahad Datu today.
The Semporna shooting comes just after the killing of two policemen on Friday in Lahad Datu, where a shootout with armed intruders loyal to the Sulu Sultanate took place.
Ismail said police were unsure if the two incidents are linked.
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