Yesterday (Oct 3), the whole of Thailand was taken aback after a deadly shooting occurred at the Siam Paragon Mall, resulting in two deaths and five injuries.
Check our previous coverage here:
Among those who was there to witness the chaos was Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who happened to be at the mall when the shooting took place.
Rushed to safety when shooting occurred
Taking to Facebook to share the harrowing experience, Tunku Ismail said he and his family were at the hotel near the location where the deadly incident took place.
“People were shouting and running into the hotel from the mall when the shooter started firing. There were a lot of screaming and it was very noisy.
“We were all sitting in the hotel lobby at that time and quickly carried the kids/family to safety, where we ran to the basement with my team.
“The only thing that I kept thinking about was how many shooters were there, what weapons they used and what was the situation,” he wrote.
Tunku Ismail added that he had to constantly be on high alert and to “be ready for anything” and vividly remembered him telling his children that everything would be alright.
Security team formed ‘human shield’
The Crown Prince also wrote about the bravery of his security team, who formed a ‘human shield’ to protect him and his family “at all costs”.
The idea was to get the family and my team out of there. My wife hugged all our kids, staying low and trying to calm them because they were terrified and were crying.
Initially, Tunku Ismail instructed his security team to send them to the Malaysian Embassy, but switched course to the Singapore Embassy instead after the driver told him it was nearer.
Tunku Ismail said he later informed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan of the situation.
Johor Crown Prince: ‘Worst experience ever’
While he noted that he had missed the Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT)’s AFC match against Thai club BG Pathum United, Tunku Ismail was nevertheless grateful that his family was safe.
This is the worst experience I’ve ever gone through. Protecting the lives of my children from the murderer. Two people died. May God bless their innocent souls.
“Alhamdulillah, we’re safe. Thanks to my security team and our friends from Singapore and Malaysia.”
Read his statement here:
Orang ramai menjerit dan berlari masuk ke dalam hotel dari pusat membeli-belah apabila penembak mula melepaskan tembakan. Ia sangat bising dan terdapat begitu banyak jeritan. Kami semua sedang duduk di lobi hotel ketika itu.
— HRH Crown Prince of Johor (@HRHJohorII) October 3, 2023
Kami membawa kanak-kanak/keluarga ke tempat yang… pic.twitter.com/SG4G558Tvi
Thai police have since arrested a 14-year-old believed to be behind the attack, who surrendered to them along with a handgun:
