PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has condemned those behind the spate of church arsons this morning and ordered police to step up checks on all places of worship.

Najib, who revealed that one of the churches had been threatened prior to being set on fire, said such reckless acts could adversely affect harmony in the country.

"I strongly condemn the act of these irresponsible people as this can destroy harmony in this country," he said after witnessing an MoU ceremony for the Northern Economic Corridor project this morning.

Najib added that the government would take whatever action needed to curb such incidents.

He added that he had directed Federal Police Chief Tan Sri Musa Hassan to beef up security at all places of worship.

Early this morning, four churces in Desa Melawati; Kampung Subang, Jalan Templer and Section 17/21E in Petaling Jaya were damaged.

Najib said whatever problem or issue in the country must be resolved through the proper procedures or through the law.

"There should be no overzealous action that can harm the harmony of the country," he said.

The Prime Minister said fingers should not be pointed at Umno for such action.

"The matter must be handed to the authorities for proper investigation and action in accordance with the law," he said.

His sentiments were also echoed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein Onn, who held a Press conference at the Bukit Aman police headquarters this morning.

Hishammuddin, in condemning the acts, warned the public not to resort to actions that could affect national security.

"The top leadership will meet up with religious leaders to address this serious problem," he said at the Press conference at around noon.

He said the authorities would not hesitate to use the Internal Security Act against anyone who threatens the security.

"It is important to ensure that no one succumbs to emotions in their actions," he said.

He also referred to the use of the word "Allah" by religions other than Islam, and said the country's leaders had met with "ulama" (Islamic religious scholars) and church administrations to explain and discuss the issue.

"This is a prudent approach to ensure that national security is not undermined," he said.

Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who was also present, said a security guard at the Metro Tabernacle church in Melawati was helping the police to identify a suspect.

Witnesses had claimed to have seen men smashing the glass wall of the chruch before throwing "flaming objects" into the premises.

Musa said police believe the incidents were committed by different individuals as the modus operandi varied.

In the case of the Metro Tabernacle church, the perpetrators had hurled helmets filled with petrol, while molotov cocktail were used in the other two incidents in Petaling Jaya.

It was also revealed that one of the churches had received a threat by someone who told it to "jaga-jaga" (watch it).

Musa said security at churches nationwide had been stepped up and the police were conducting more frequent patrols.

"We are also trying to identify those responsible for the church incidents. Preliminary investigation reveals that these acts were carried out by individuals who had succumbed to emotion and were not coordinated," he said.

Musa said the first incident occurred at 12.30am at the Metro Tabernacle Church when a man on a motorcycle hurled a helmet containing a petrol bomb into the church through a window.

This triggered a fire which destroyed chairs and religious books on the ground floor of the three-storey building, he added.

"A security guard saw what happened, and we are recording a statement from him to identify the individual and the motorcycle," he said.

Musa said the second incident took place at the Assumption Church at about 4am and the third at the Life Chapel at about 9am.

The petrol bombs in bottles hurled by men on motorcycles did not explode, he added.

Musa also said the police were monitoring websites suspected to have prompted the people to break the law and gather illegally.

He said the police would not hesitate to detain bloggers under the Sedition Act if they incited the people.

He also called on anyone with information on the cases to contact him at 019-2823701.