Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country and has been a steadfast supporter of Palestine. It has no formal relations with Israel and in December, the country banned all Israeli ships from docking at Malaysian ports.

Police in Malaysia arrested an Israeli man suspected to be a member of the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, on Friday.

The man, identified by as 36-year-old Shalom Avitan, according to some media reports, was reportedly arrested in Kuala Lumpur at a local hotel. Authorities say he had six handguns, three of which were loaded, and more than 200 rounds of ammunition. Avitan reportedly gave the authorities a fake French passport but surrendered his Israeli passport during questioning.

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On Saturday, three Malaysian nationals, including a married couple, were arrested under suspicion of helping the Israeli suspect. The couple is accused of providing the alleged agent with weapons, while the third Malaysian is under investigation for acting as the suspect’s driver.

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The Mossad has long been suspected of operating in Malaysia. In 2018, a Gaza-born electrical engineer was gunned down by two motorcyclists suspected of being linked to the Mossad. In 2022, a man was kidnapped in Malaysia, allegedly as part of a Mossad plot.

While legal gun ownership is possible in Malaysia, it is limited to citizens and requires every weapon to be licensed. The country also has some of the strictest punishments in the world for firearm violations. The suspect is being investigated under the Passport Act of 1966 and the Firearms Act for unlicensed possession of weapons. If charged and found guilty, he could be sentenced to death.