1985 Lahad Datu ambush

1985 Lahad Datu ambush
Part of Piracy in Asia and Cross border attacks in Sabah
LocationLahad Datu, Sabah
Coordinates5°1′48″N 118°20′24″E / 5.03000°N 118.34000°E / 5.03000; 118.34000
Date23 September 1985 – 24 September 1985
(1 day)
Afternoon until next morning (UTC+8)
Attack type
Bank robbery, robbery, random shootings
WeaponsM16 rifle, machine guns, rocket launchers and hand grenades
Deaths21 (excluding 5 perpetrators)
Injured11 (excluding 2 perpetrators)
PerpetratorsMoro Pirates from the Southern Philippines
MotiveRobbery

The 1985 Lahad Datu ambush was a series of robberies and random shootings that occurred on 23 September 1985 when 15–20[1][2] armed foreign pirates landed on the coast of Lahad Datu, Malaysia, and stormed the town. The pirates shot at random targets, killing at least 21 people and injuring 11 others,[1][2] and stole some $200,000 from a local bank as well as another $5,000 from the Malaysia Airlines office.[3]

  1. ^ a b "Lahad Datu Recalls Its Blackest Monday". New Straits Times. 24 September 1987. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b Masayuki Doi (30 October 1985). "Filipino pirates wreak havoc in a Malaysian island paradise". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  3. ^ Clement Jaikul (19 February 2014). "Thoughts on Sabah's piracy problem". The Star. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.