KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — Police have detained a foreign national believed to be a terrorist on the most-wanted list in the Middle East during a raid late last month.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the 45-year-old suspect was caught during a special operation on January 31, and is believed to have previously served as a commander of a terrorist group operating in Iraq and Syria.

The suspect was deported to his country of origin yesterday after five days in detention for allegedly using a fake passport.

Khalid, in a statement issued to the media, said the suspect had been part of a terrorist group operating in Syria from May 2012 to May 2014.

The top cop, however, did not identify the terrorist group that is linked to the suspect.

It is understood that the suspect had travelled to several countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia before slipping into Malaysia sometime in the middle of last month.

“The Royal Malaysian Police takes a serious view of the activities of foreign terrorists attempting to use Malaysia as a transit, safe haven and base of operations.

“The success in the suspect’s arrest is the result of close cooperation between the police and foreign enforcement agencies. This cooperation will continue to eradicate and manage the threat of terrorism, be it regionally or globally,” Khalid said.

As many as 50 Malaysians are currently fighting for the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, with some saying that the jihad was mandated by the Prophet Muhammad.

Some of the jihadists identified include former Kedah PAS leader Mohd Lotfi Ariffin, who was killed in Syria following an ambush, and UK-educated Ahmad Salman Abdul Rahim, who held a job with a construction company.

Malaysia has designated IS a terrorist group.