Army axes recruitment video after claims it made Malaysians look like terrorists

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The Ministry of Defence withdrew the advertisement from the Royal Marines' website and British cinemas on Wednesday, a British High Commission official in Kuala Lumpur has revealed.

The 40-second clip showed a man on a beach firing a machine gun into the air and shouting in the Malay language: 'I'm the most evil man in the world. Come fight with me. I will kill you all.'

Clip: a screen grab of the 40-second clip which shows a man firing a machine gun into the air and shouting 'I will kill you all' in Malay

He appeared to be ethnic Malay or Indonesian.

'As soon as we became aware that the video has caused some offense, we withdrew the video,' the official said.

Malay Muslims make up nearly two-thirds of the 27million people in Malaysia, which prides itself on religious moderation and is considered one of the Muslim world's most stable nations.

A Malaysian legislator complained about the advertisement in Parliament on Tuesday, but it was not clear when the video first appeared on the website.

A Royal Marine appearing in the Ministry of Defence recruitment video

Zainal Abidin Bakar, an official in Malaysia's Foreign Ministry, said the clip hurt local sensitivities, but the government was still considering whether to send an official protest note.

'They have withdrawn the video on their own accord. It's a good gesture on their part,' Zainal said.

'They've realized their mistake and the sensitivity of the Malay community.'