KUALA LUMPUR - A gambling kingpin believed to be the target of assassination outside a karaoke lounge in Malaysia which killed a man gave his statement to the police on Monday.

Kuala Lumpur CID deputy chief Khairi Ahrasa said on Tuesday the triad leader, known only as "Ah Hai", was at the Kuala Lumpur Police Headquarters from 9pm to 11.45pm to have his statement recorded, The Rakyat Post reported.

"As of now, so far we have recorded statements from 17 suspects and that the police using its forensic team are reviewing CCTV recordings at the crime scene to detect those responsible for the bombings," Khairi was quoted as saying by the Post's website.

Khairi added that "Ah Hai", 53, was not injured in the grenade attack outside the Cherry Blossom club at Sun Complex in Kuala Lumpur's Bukit Bintang shopping district.

But the explosion killed a car jockey, while a dozen others, including a Singaporean, were hurt. Police safely detonated a second grenade that was thrown outside the club but did not explode.

"Ah Hai", whom police believe was the intended target in the attack, is a gang leader who grew his illegal online gambling business into one of the country's largest syndicates over two decades.

"He may have angered rival gangs as he encroached into their territory when expanding his business ventures," a source told The Star newspaper.

The blast, which police said was from a "military grade" grenade, is believed to be linked to a turf war between gangs.