PETALING JAYA, Dec 11 — Police have debunked claims that influential militant figures in the country have been brainwashing Islamic State (IS) sympathisers to become suicide bombers following the death of a second Malaysian suicide bomber, Ahmad Affendi Abdul Manaf, in Syria on Nov 8.

“Our intelligence information suggests he was influenced and mentally trained to become a suicide bomber when he joined the extremist group in Syria after arriving on April 23,” said a police source.

The source said investigations revealed Ahmad Affendi received training and was brainwashed by higher-ranking militant leaders in Syria.

“A suicide mission of that magnitude must have been engineered by a high-ranking militant leader. Such leaders are known to have the capabilities to influence new recruits to prepare for suicide missions at any time,” said the source.

The source added local authorities are now trying to establish if Ahmad Affendi was in touch with other IS recruits in Malaysia who are planning to head to Syria.

“We need to find out if he had any part in recruiting or influencing other Malaysians so we can track them before it’s too late.

“The recruiters would not push too hard here as the recruits could get cold feet and decide against joining the mission. There are cases where the recruits are told they are heading to Syria to learn more about radical Islam.”

The source said once these recruits arrive abroad, they are slowly manipulated into playing a bigger role as serious fighters.

Ahmad Affendi was believed to have driven a bomb-laden truck into a military installation in Homs, killing about 50 Syrian armed forces personnel loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad.

The details of how he carried out the attack are still sketchy.

Ahmad Affendi had worked in Selangor and held a Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia certificate.

His family said they were shocked when he told them that he was going to Syria to join IS.

His brother, who declined to reveal his identity, said Ahmad Affendi was an active member of the Tabligh Jamaat movement and went out regularly, sometimes for up to two months, for dakwah work.

However, he did not expect his brother to join the war in Syria or Iraq as he had not spoken about it.

In May, 26-year-old factory worker Ahmad Tarmimi Maliki was reported to be the first Malaysian suicide bomber linked to IS.

He had allegedly driven a military SUV filled with tonnes of explosives into Iraq’s SWAT headquarters in Al-Anbar on May 26 and killed 25 elite Iraqi soldiers.