9 suspected militants arrested in raids in Selangor and Kedah, say police
The Malaysian Insider – 18 minutes agoRELATED CONTENT
- 9 suspected militants arrested in raids in Selangor and Kedah, say police
Police arrested nine suspected militants in simultaneous raids this morning in Selangor and Kedah for allegedly planning to overthrow the government through violent means.
A Malaysian security official told The Malaysian Insider that the nine suspects, including a woman, were part of a group which had surfaced towards the end of last year.
"The group is not directly linked to Al Qaeda or Jemaah Islamiyah but they share the same ideologies. They want an Islamic state," the official said.
The Malaysian Insider understands that the arrests were made between 5am and 7am this morning in the two states.
The nine are aged between 20 and 50 years and have been detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, which allows for detention without trial.
"The group had been put under surveillance since late last year after their plans came to the attention of the authorities," the official said.
Special police teams were dispatched this morning to the hideouts of these "militants" who were subsequently arrested without incident.
It is learnt that police did not recover any firearms although they seized several items including the suspects' mobile phones and laptops.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar is expected to issue a statement later today.
The police chief had earlier today tweeted the success of his men in nabbing the nine suspected militants.
"Congratulations to the Bukit Aman police special branch for arresting nine people suspected of involvement in militant activities in Malaysia," he had tweeted.
He did not reveal more details. – April 28, 2014.
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