KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 28 — The Counter Terrorism Division (E8) of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) Special Branch has succeeded in foiling 26 attempted terrorist and militant attacks in the country between 2012 to 2024, said Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.

He said the attempted attacks involved both group-based and lone-actor threats, with two attacks carried out, namely the bombing of a pub in Puchong on June 28, 2016 and an attack on the Ulu Tiram Police Station in Johor on May 17, 2024, which claimed the lives of two police personnel.

“During the period, the E8 Division also successfully detained 75 members of militant and terrorist groups who were planning to carry out attacks in Malaysia. Those detained were subscribing to the Salafi Jihadi ideology championed by the Islamic State (IS) group,” he said on his official Facebook page today.

He said all the suspects arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA) and subsequently charged either under the Penal Code or subjected to Detention Orders or Restriction Orders under the Prevention of Crime Act (POCA) or the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).

According to him, all suspects charged under the Penal Code were convicted and sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to 25 years.

Ayob Khan said among the violent attack plots successfully foiled by the E8 Division of the Special Branch were attempts to carry out attacks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) targeting foreign embassies in Kuala Lumpur in 2012, as well as entertainment outlets in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor in 2013.

He said security forces also thwarted several planned attacks targeting places of worship, public premises and crowded locations, including large-scale plots involving high-profile individuals and strategic facilities, as well as attempted bomb attacks in Putrajaya.

Commenting on doubts raised by some parties regarding the suspects’ capability to carry out large-scale attacks, Ayob Khan said investigations found that several suspects had produced IEDs, vehicle-borne IEDs (VBIEDs), firearms and hand grenades, and had also conducted successful explosive tests.

He said the effectiveness of preventive laws such as SOSMA, POTA and POCA was crucial to enable early action to be taken to thwart violent attack plans before any loss of life occurred.

“We recognise human rights, but they must be balanced against security threats. There is no absolute freedom,” he added. — Bernama