KUALA LUMPUR, March 24 — Police have this week nabbed 15 individuals suspected of being involved in activities tied to terrorist group Islamic State (IS) such as a plot to attack Malaysia, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said today.
“All suspects are Malaysians consisting of 11 men and four women, aged between 22 and 49,” he said in a statement.
He added that the female suspects had all planned to slip out of Malaysia to join the IS group in Syria.
Khalid said a policeman, a mosque’s imam or worship leader, a housewife and a student were rounded up in the anti-terrorism operation.
He said five private sector employees including an aircraft technician, four self-employed and two unemployed individuals were also among those nabbed.
Khalid said all suspects were nabbed for various activities, including receiving orders from Muhammad Wanndy bin Mohamed Jedi — a Malaysian IS member in Syria — to launch an attack in Malaysia.
They were also attempting to find chemicals to make bombs, recruiting and sending Malaysians to join IS in Syria, as well as collecting funds among local IS sympathisers in Malaysia to give to Malaysians joining the militant group in Syria.
They were said to be involved in arranging the sneaking out of two foreign terrorist suspects out of Malaysia to another country, collecting funds for channelling to an IS-affiliated terrorist group operating in the southern Philippines.
They were also found to be involved in hacking activities on several government websites and establishing ties with terrorist groups in South-east Asia.
Khalid said the police’s counter-terrorism unit caught the 15 in a three-day operation that started on Tuesday in seven locations — Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Terengganu.
All suspects were nabbed for suspected terrorism offences under the Penal Code and will be probed under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, he said.
