KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Police have detained three individuals believed to be the prime movers in recruiting, financing and deploying Malaysian citizens to join the Islamic State (IS) militants.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said they were among the 14 individuals nabbed in a special operation carried out in Shah Alam and Damansara by the Counter Terrorism Division of the Special Branch at Bukit Aman since October 13.

“Initial investigation found that the first prime move suspect, aged 37, is a Facebook user who promotes, recruits and uploads the IS propaganda into his Facebook page to influence Malaysian citizens to perform their jihad obligation in Syria,” he said in a statement here today.

He said the suspect had also recruited female students from local universities to be deployed to Syria.

“The second prime mover suspect, aged 34, had fought alongside the IS militants in Syria between December 2013 and April 2014.

“He returned to Malaysia on April 8 and had guided, encouraged and shared his experience with Malaysian who had joined the IS militants in Syria,” he said.

Khalid said the third prime mover suspect, aged 37, was an engineer with the post of Senior Assistant Director of the Sewerage Services Department under the Ministry of Water, Green Technology and Water.  

He said the third suspect was also believed to have financed the cost to send the recruited individuals to Syria.

The IGP said the third suspect was also believed to have strong connections with the other militants, namely Dr Mahmud Ahmad, Mohd Najib Hussein and Mohd Joraimee, who have joined the Abu Sayyaf rebel group in southern Philippines.

Meanwhile, Khalid said the rest of those detained in the operation were also Malaysian citizens, aged between 14 and 18, and consisted of trader, event crew cooks, graphic designers, a housewife and a student.

He said five of them were members of a family, who were also believed to have planned to leave for Syria to join the IS.

Following a search on the family’s house, police also found books on jihad and militant activities.

“One of the family members is a Form Two student of a secondary school in Klang, Selangor,” Khalid said.

All of them were detained under Chapter VI A — Offences Relating To Terrorism of the Penal Code and would be investigated under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, he added. — Bernama