Under arrest: Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division officers detaining the suspect (centre) in Kuala Lumpur.
KUALA LUMPUR: A 31-year-old north African man was detained after operating for the Islamic State (IS) terror group in Malaysia for about a year.
The man, who entered the country using a forged student visa in March last year, obtained the visa from a syndicate operating in the Klang Valley.
Sources revealed that the suspect purchased the forged visa for RM5,500.
“This is a new modus operandi for IS members. Instead of heading back to their home countries, these fighters are going to a third country like Malaysia for multiple reasons,” a source told The Star yesterday.
Among the reasons were to set up a base of operations, become the link man for other operatives and to recruit more members.
“The authorities discovered that the suspect had rented an apartment in Gombak.
“He was enrolled to study at a public university but failed to attend classes. Instead, he worked multiple jobs, including as a cook and a masseur,” a source said.
The suspect is also a casanova, having romanced single mothers in a bid to obtain a spousal visa.
“At least two single mothers have been seduced by him,” a source said.
The man, who was picked up by the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division on June 9 here, is also on the Wanted List of a northern African security force.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the suspect was previously detained in his home country for being involved in terror activities in 2007.
“He was detained for two years. Then in 2013, the man went to Syria to join the IS,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Khalid added that the man had managed to gain entry into Malaysia by using a forged student visa in March last year.
“We believe he may have obtained the fake documents via a syndicate operating in the Klang Valley.
“The student visa seems ‘complete’ with the name of the public university on the document.
“We will investigate further to uncover the syndicate behind the forged documents.
“Such documents in the hands of terrorists is simply dangerous for the country,” he said.
He added that the suspect had been deported to his home country on Wednesday.
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