The younger brother of Hafizul Harawi, 38, the suspect in the shooting incident at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on April 14, said his family is leaving the case to the police.

Mr Hanif Harawi said: “Let the law judge Hafizul’s actions. We as a family leave it completely to the police to investigate this case.”

Speaking to Malaysia’s New Straits Times on April 15, he expressed relief at Hafizul’s arrest, saying their parents had to endure the anxiety, and that they hoped Hafizul would take responsibility for his actions.

Since they learnt about the incident, the family had been trying to reach out to Hafizul. However, their calls and text messages were unanswered, Mr Hanif said.

“It is true that we were surprised by what Hafizul did, but the incident had already happened. We have accepted this as a test from God, even though our mother and father are very sad to the point (that it is) affecting their health.”

Mr Hanif, who is a religious teacher, said: “No matter what, our parents and we five brothers want Hafizul to be responsible for what he did. He cannot avoid facing the consequences of his actions.”

Mr Hanif described Hafizul as a cheerful and sociable person. It came as a surprise to his close friends that he would dare to shoot at someone, Mr Hanif said.

“That is why after Hafizul escaped, we appealed to him to surrender to the police immediately. We will not protect him if he really committed the crime, and this case needs to be resolved according to the law,” he said.

“The family knows that Hafizul, who has six children, is having problems with his wife, but we did not interfere in the matter because the couple’s relationship is good at times.”

He added that the family is “confused as to what prompted him to act like that”.