KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — The police have confirmed that Turkish academic Ismet Ozcelik was arrested yesterday in connection to activities threatening Malaysia’s security.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar revealed the arrest was made at 4.30pm yesterday at a petrol station in Chenur, Pahang.

When asked if Ismet had been linked with terror group Islamic State (IS), Khalid refused to elaborate further.

"He wasn’t involved in terror activities throughout his 12-year stay here. But when he begins to get involved, we acted.

"Prior to this, he also caused trouble in the immigration department. We have enough reasons to take action against him,” Khalid told a press conference.

Khalid also denied that the police had acted on the Turkish government’s orders, saying: "We have our own laws to protect national security. We have the right to determine who we want to arrest and detain.

"Anyone who threatens our national security is not welcomed here.”

Ozcelik — a director of a Turkish university with a valid social visit pass initially expiring only this November 17 — had been arrested last December 13 for allegedly obstructing Immigration Department officers from carrying out their duty.

Ozcelik’s arrest comes after the arrest of two Turkish nationals earlier this week — Turgay Karaman and Ihsan Aslan. They were detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revealed yesterday that the two Turkish citizens were arrested on suspicion of links to IS.