 |
| Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division. |
Five detained over alleged terror links
BY FARIK ZOLKEPLITHE STAR
KUALA LUMPUR: Five men, including four foreigners, were detained for alleged links to various terror groups, including the Islamic State (IS).
The suspects, aged between 25 and 59, were detained in the city, Selangor, Kelantan and Johor between Nov 17 and Dec 1 in a massive swoop by the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division.
Three of the suspects – a 31-year-old Indonesian man identified as the cell’s leader, along with a Malaysian and a Bangladeshi – have links with IS.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the cell leader, who was detained in Johor, is believed to have performed the bai’ah to IS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi via Facebook in mid 2014.
“He, along with the Malaysian man, are responsible for recruiting new members from Malaysia and other southeast Asian countries and arranging for their travel to Syria.
“The third member – the Bangladeshi man – was also planning to travel to Syria,” Khalid said in a statement Saturday
The IGP said two others arrested were a European and an African man.
“The European man was arrested in the city and has been working as a part-time English teacher in Penang.
“He had joined Al-Qaeda previously and he was involved in terror activities in Afghanistan and Bosnia,” he said.
The African man arrested was a private college student in Petaling Jaya and was actively involved in terror activities.
