KUALA LUMPUR: A part-time English teacher from Britain who fought as an al-Qaeda militant in Afghanistan and Bosnia, is among the latest group of five men arrested for being involved in Islamic State (IS) and other terror groups.
Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division nabbed the 44-year-old Briton together with a 25-year-old Bangladeshi, a 29-year-old Nigerian, a 31-year-old Indonesian and a 59-year-old Malaysian, who is also a Rela member, in a series of raids in Selangor, Kelantan, Johor and here between Nov 16 and Dec 1.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the British national, a Muslim convert who had been under surveillance for some time, was arrested in Jalan Duta on Nov 16.
“He fought in Afghanistan and Bosnia after joining al-Qaeda. He was working as a part-time English teacher in Penang and we have been monitoring him closely,” the IGP said.
The Nigerian, who had been using his guise as a student in a private college in Petaling Jaya for his terrorism-related activities, was arrested a day later.
Investigators believe that he is actively connected to terror groups in Africa.
Both the Briton and Nigerian have since been deported.
The three other suspects, an Indonesian, a Bangladeshi and a Malaysian, are believed to have links to the IS.
The Indonesian, identified as the leader of the cell, was nabbed on Dec 1 in Benut, Pontian, where he was working as a mechanic.
The IGP said the man had performed the bai’ah (pledge of loyalty) to IS’ “Caliph” Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi via Facebook in mid 2014.
“We also believe that he is one of the main persons recruiting and sending trained militants to Syria. We suspect that he has been arranging travels for IS followers in Malaysia and other South-East Asian countries,” he added.
It was learnt that the Indonesian had direct connections with known Malaysian militants, including former “The Ukays” band drummer Akil Zainal.
Akil, a Universiti Teknologi Mara graduate, was among the first batch of Malaysians who went to Syria and publicly declared support for militant groups.
The two other cell members, the Malaysian and the Bangladeshi, were arrested in Kota Baru and Klang respectively.
At a separate event, the IGP said Bukit Aman would always be on the alert with threats from the IS and other terror groups.
“We will not compromise when it comes to security. Every action will be taken to prevent bad things from happening in this country,” he said.
The IGP said terror groups, including the IS would not be allowed to gain a foothold in Malaysia, he added.
Asked whether any of the suspects had been planning to launch attacks in Malaysia, he said that was their main agenda.
