KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 ― The police's anti-terrorism unit arrested six Malaysian men this week for suspected involvement in terror group Islamic State's (IS) activities, including cases of firearm smuggling and channelling of RM20,000.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the first suspect, Muhammad Muzafa Arieff Junaidi, had surrendered himself on May 23 in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan after the police asked the public for information on him.

Khalid said the cattle farmer aged 27 was wanted by police for alleged involvement in smuggling weapons for the use of local IS members.

"The suspect was ordered to slip into southern Thailand through Sungai Golok on March 22, 2017 together with two (2) firearms of the M4 carbine and pistol type to hide those weapons, to avoid being convicted with the offence of possession of firearms,” Khalid said in a statement today, adding that this arrest came after police's March nabbing of two other IS suspects.

The two arrested on March 21 and 24 ― Nik Razanil Izuan Daud and Mohammad Sabri Mat Zain ― have since been sentenced to five-years' jail and six lashes each.

As for the second set of arrests on May 25 and 26, two brothers aged 23 and 29 who were working as a religious teacher and online trader were nabbed in Perak and Kedah, he said.

They were believed to have helped the movement of IS militants in Syria through their Wan Mohd Aquil Wan Zainal @Akel Zainal and their relative Muhammad Fudhail Omar, with the latter having previously ordered an IS member in Sabah to launch a "lone wolf” attack in the state's Sandakan and who is also expected to take over the role of now-dead Malaysian Syria-based IS leader Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi.

Police also detained a retired army veteran aged 54 in Kulim, Kedah on May 25.

Khalid said the veteran, whose son Afif Safwan Azuddin had gone to Syria to join the IS, had sent around RM20,000 in several transactions to the terror group.

Police on May 25 also arrested two suspects in Selangor and Kedah aged 31 and 33 respectively ― with one working as a private firm's quality control officer and the other unemployed ― for helping the IS group in Syria, he said.

All six suspects have been arrested over suspected commission of terror offences under the Penal Code and will be investigated according to the procedure under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, he said.