That was the last message from Major Mohd Zahir Armaya AR Badul to his mother Rusunjan Mohd before he was shot dead at an army demonstration exercise gone wrong at the Lok Kawi military camp, near here, today.

Rusunjan, 56, from Kampung Indai in Tuaran, said Zahir sent the message to her through Whatsapp last night, referring to his role as a terrorist in the exercise in conjunction with the launch of the Fifth Division of the Malaysian Infantry and the 13th Malaysian Infantry Brigade here.

She said she heard the heart-wrenching news about Zahir, the son of veteran comedian and actor AR Badul, from the army when she was at the market.

“Zahir contacted me last night, telling me he will be involved in a demonstration exercise. He he told me it would be his ‘last show’.

“I advised him to always be careful. As a mother, I ‘surrender’ to God over what has happened,” she said at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here where Zahir was pronounced dead.

Rusunjan said her son had told her he intended to visit their village in Tuaran, near here, after not having gone back for almost seven years.

He had also told her he wanted to buy some fruits for his family this evening after the demonstration exercise.

She said that Zahir’s remains would be flown back to Perak for burial tonight.

“We actually wanted him to be buried here but we understand the request of his wife,” she said.

Zahir, 36, the commander of the 11th Special Forces Regiment, leaves his wife and five children, aged five months to nine years.

He was the third of seven children of AR Badul, whose real name is Armya Aman Ramlie.

According to Penampang police chief Haris Ibrahim, the incident occurred at about 8.25am. He said police are investigating the case under Section 304 of the Penal Code for causing death by negligence.

It was learned that Zahir, who is believed to have worn a bullet-proof vest, had taken on the role of a terrorist in the exercise. He had “shot” at personnel from the Fifth Division and 13th Brigade and they “returned fire”. However, Zahir suddenly collapsed, prompting other army officers to rush to his aid.

The incident was witnessed by reporters covering the event. One reporter, who asked not to be named, said he suspected something wrong after seeing Zahir fall to the ground.

“I felt something was amiss when we saw him collapse like that,” he said, adding he also saw blood on the victim.

Zahir’s uncle, Mirdat Mohd, 54, said while the family accepted what had happened, they wanted the army and police to conduct a thorough investigation.

“If there was a mistake or negligence, then all I ask for is justice and transparency. We just don’t want anything similar happening in future,” he said.