Malaysia: Six Detained in Multi-Agency Raid on Ahmadiyya-Linked Premises in Gombak

Malaysia: Six Pakistani Men Detained in Multi-Agency Raid on Two Ahmadiyya-Linked Premises in Gombak

Videos and posts about a raid on an Ahmadiyya place of worship in Malaysia have been spreading on social media since Friday. Some say "many Ahmadis were arrested." Others say the religious department (JAIS) carried out the raid. This article separates what official sources confirm from what is still disputed or unverified.

 

Videos: 


Quick facts (as of 19 October 2026)

Question What is confirmed
Where? Two premises in Kampung Nakhoda and Taman Laksamana, Batu Caves, Gombak district, Selangor, Malaysia
When? Friday, 16 October 2026 (official statements were released on 17 October)
Who carried it out? A joint operation of six agencies: police (PDRM), Home Ministry (KDN), Immigration Department (JIM), Selayang Municipal Council (MPS), Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) and the Registrar of Societies (ROS)
How many people? 207 personnel; 184 people were inspected on site
How many detained? Six Pakistani men, aged 17, 21, 31, 37, 44 and 46
On what charge? Suspected offences under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 (entering or remaining in Malaysia without a valid pass or permit)
Was JAIS involved? Selangor police say no; the Selangor Islamic Religious Department was not part of the operation

What happened

According to a statement by Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar, the operation was coordinated through the Gombak district police headquarters. NST reports that 184 people were checked at the two locations and that six Pakistani nationals were detained after document checks. The police chief described the purpose as ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations.

RTM's report lists what each agency did beyond the immigration arrests:

  • ROS seized documents and related materials for further review.
  • MPS took action over business-licensing and unauthorised-construction offences, including notices and seizures.
  • KDN (Home Ministry) took action under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 and the Printing of Quranic Texts Act 1986.

NST also reports that the operation uncovered fire-safety violations alongside the licensing and construction issues.

What Malaysian media reported about the premises

Utusan Malaysia, quoting an unnamed source, reported that the two premises were believed to be used as centres of "Ahmadiyya or Qadiani" teaching by foreigners, and that the prayer place lacked permission from the Islamic Religious Council to hold Friday prayers. The same source said three local men believed to be leaders of the group in Malaysia were questioned and then released after giving statements.

Please note: this part rests on an anonymous source, not on an on-record police or ministry statement.

What is disputed or unverified

1. "JAIS raided the mosque." This was the claim that went viral. Police say JAIS was not involved, "as alleged in viral social media posts."

2. "Which building was it?" Early reports spoke of a mosque in Kampung Nakhoda. A later Utusan follow-up quotes the chairman of Masjid Kampung Nakhoda saying the village mosque itself was not raided, and that the target was a private premises used by foreigners. Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said two premises were checked, one described as a mosque and one as a building. Reports do not name the premises precisely. (The Ahmadiyya Community's own mission house, Baitussalam, is located in Kampung Nakhoda according to the community's 2014 statement, but no source I found directly confirms that Baitussalam was one of the two raided premises.)

3. "Many Ahmadis were arrested." Officially, 184 people were inspected and six were detained. The detentions were for suspected immigration offences, not for worship.

4. "The raid happened during Friday prayers." Some Ahmadiyya-aligned outlets and activists say the raid took place during Friday prayers and that worshippers were stopped. The date (a Friday) fits, but I could not find an on-record statement confirming the time or that prayers were interrupted. Treat this as a claim until confirmed.

5. Ahmadiyya Community response. At the time of writing I could not find an official statement from the Ahmadiyya Community in Malaysia. 

Why the legal background matters

This was an immigration-led operation, which is different from the religious-law raids of the past, but the background explains why Ahmadiyya premises in Malaysia attract attention:

  • Official status. Malaysian authorities treat the Ahmadiyya Community as outside orthodox Islam. The US State Department's 2019 religious freedom report says Ahmadis could generally keep a worship centre but were not allowed to hold Friday prayers there, because Friday prayers may only be held in an officially registered mosque.
  • Selangor restrictions. A Rabwah Times report notes that the Selangor Fatwa Committee declared the community "deviant" in 1998 and that the central mosque in Selayang was subsequently barred from hosting Friday prayers. Wikipedia's overview of persecution of Ahmadis records an April 2009 letter from the Selangor Islamic Religious Council forbidding Friday prayers at the central mosque.
  • The 2014 precedent. On 11 April 2014, JAIS officers raided a prayer centre in Batu Caves and 39 people, including Pakistani asylum seekers, were arrested for performing Friday prayers in a place that is not a mosque (see the UN HRC written statement). That case was a religious-law action by JAIS. The October 2026 operation, by contrast, was officially led by police and immigration.
  • Sabah, June 2026. Police in Sabah detained about 300 people at the community's regional Jalsa Salana in Kota Kinabalu (29 to 31 May), investigating under the Sabah Syariah Criminal Offences Enactment. They were released on bail. Note that Rabwah Times is a community-aligned outlet.
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The refugee dimension

Several of those linked to the Ahmadiyya Community in Malaysia are Pakistani nationals. Malaysia has not signed the 1951 Refugee Convention, and, as the same HRC statement explains, refugees without legal status are exposed to arrest and detention. Human Rights Watch has documented that even people holding UNHCR cards have been detained in raids. It is not yet known whether the six men detained on 16 October were asylum seekers, registered with UNHCR, or something else, and that is a key open question.

What to watch next

  1. Whether the six men are charged, deported or released, and whether they hold UNHCR documents.
  2. Whether the Home Ministry's action under the publications and Quranic-text laws leads to charges.
  3. Whether a formal statement comes from the Ahmadiyya Community in Malaysia.
  4. Whether JAIS or the Selangor religious authorities open any separate religious-law investigation.

Editor's note

This article uses only information from on-record statements and named Malaysian outlets where possible, and flags anonymous-source and community-aligned reports as such. Updates will be added as official information changes.

Sources

Malaysian reporting on the 16 October raid

Background

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