KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — A Malaysian international footballer has been splashed by acid and two other top players were attacked within a week by unknown assailants, in a rare outbreak of violence targeting athletes in the country.

Police criminal investigation chief Mohamad Shuhaily Mohamad Zain said Wednesday that there were similarities in the three attacks and that the victims appeared to have been targeted. But investigators have not determined whether the cases were linked.

Faisal Halim, who plays as a winger for the national team and Malaysian club Selangor, was hospitalized with fourth-degree burns following an acid attack by two assailants at a shopping mall on Sunday. He was reported to be in critical but stable condition, with limited movement and speech.

Just three days earlier, another prominent national team player, Akhyar Rashid, was assaulted in a robbery outside his house in eastern Terengganu state after his return from training. He was hit with an iron rod, leaving him head and leg injuries. His attackers fled after taking money from him.