Security measures for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his family are being beefed-up, following “a botched attack” involving Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail last night.
“There will be more security measures for the family. We have to be more careful now,” PKR vice president Chua Tian Chang told The Malaysian Insider.
According to his fellow vice president, Nurul Izzah Anwar, bodyguard Fayyadh Afiq Albakqry was escorting PKR president Dr Wan Azizah (picture) through a crowd of supporters at a ceramah near her hometown in Penang at about 10pm when the alleged attack happened.
“He’s now hospitalised in Seberang Jaya hospital. He was attacked with a syringe as he was shielding Dr Wan on her way up to the podium to speak.
“He later passed out in the car in the presence of Dr Wan, my sister Ilham and her husband,” Nurul Izzah, who is Anwar and Dr Wan Azizah’s daughter told The Malaysian Insider in a text message.
Nurul said a police report was lodged at 12.40am.
Anwar was in Kuala Terengganu attending another rally when the alleged attack happened.
Anwar will be ending his whirlwind six-day tour ahead of the Sodomy II trial verdict tomorrow with “two grand finales”, one in Kampung Baru, and another in Kampung Pandan.
His family and PKR leaders are expected to be by his side throughout the night.
News of the alleged attack have spread rapidly through Twitter with some individuals claiming that Fayyadh may have prevented an attack on Wan Azizah.
Chua however said it was too early to speculate the motive and target of the attacker.
Fayyadh is also the same bodyguard who was allegedly struck with a tear gas canister while protecting Anwar during the Bersih 2.0 rally.
PKR deputy president Azmin Ali had announced on Tuesday that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will be amassing a rally of over 100,000 people when the court delivers its verdict on Monday.
Anwar, 64, is charged with sodomising former male aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan at a condominium in upscale Damansara Heights here in June 2008, a few months before returning from a decade in the political wilderness and winning back his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat.
This represents the second time he has been prosecuted for sodomy.
If found guilty, he could spend up to 20 years behind bars but will escape the caning penalty as he is over 60. It would effectively spell the end of his political career and his chance to be prime minister.
