KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Ten people dressed like ninjas were detained Monday (August 5th) after turning up at Malaysia's royal palace in Kuala Lumpur in an apparent attempt to claim the throne, AFP reported.

The group was unarmed and included a child. Police did not identify the members but said the leader was from Kedah and "claimed to have a letter of appointment from the Philippines", Kuala Lumpur police official Ku Chin Wah told reporters.

Malaysia has a unique arrangement under which the Muslim Malay sultans of the country's nine states take turns occupying the national throne as king, rotating every five years. A claim from the Philippines "doesn't make sense", Ku said.

He said the group is being investigated under a statute that forbids challenging the king's authority, which can bring life imprisonment, and for illegal assembly.