Malaysia asks Google for help investigating sex video blackmail threats
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Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the government will request Google’s help as the blackmail bids were sent via e-mail.
PHOTO: BERNAMA
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KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will seek assistance from Alphabet’s Google to investigate sex video threats targeting some officials and lawmakers, Bernama reported.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil – who was among those targeted – was quoted by Bernama as saying that the government will request Google’s help as the blackmail bids were sent via e-mail.
Datuk Fahmi had earlier revealed on his X account that at least nine MPs received the threat via Gmail, threatening to release the videos if payment of US$100,000 (S$128,220) was not made. Mr Fahmi warned the offence can carry a jail term of up to two years.
Former economy minister Rafizi Ramli is among the other high-profile politicians – most of them from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s People’s Justice Party – who received the same threat.
Opposition lawmaker Wan Saiful Wan Jan revealed in a separate Facebook post that he had also received the threat, and said many other lawmakers were probably sent the same e-mail but had not realised it yet. They denied being in the sex videos or having knowledge of the content.
In a separate report, Free Malaysia Today said the authorities have received four police reports from three MPs and a senator over the threatening e-mails. Bloomberg
