KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — Local police have nabbed seven men suspected of being linked to terrorist group Islamic State (IS) and other militant groups, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said today.

Khalid said the seven terror suspects --- including one Malaysian --- were nabbed between February 21 and February 26 in operations carried out by the Special Branch’s Counter-Terrorism division.

Khalid said the suspects in the first arrest were planning an attack with bombs in Malaysia.

“The first arrest on February 21, 2017 involves a Daesh cell composed of a Malaysian and an Indonesian. The two who are respectively aged 41 and 28 and work as a factory technician and farmer were arrested in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur,” he said in a statement today, referring to IS as Daesh.

Noting that the Indonesian suspect was deported from Turkey last June after an attempt to slip into Syria to join the IS group, Khalid said police investigations found that the duo had received orders from Mohamad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi to launch an attack in Malaysia using “Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device” before slipping out to Syria’s IS group.

Mohamad Wanndy, a Malaysian who is in Syria as an IS member, had previously claimed responsibility for the militant group’s first grenade attack in Malaysia last June.

As for the only East Asian male nabbed in this series of arrests, Khalid said the 37-year-old suspect arrested on February 23 in Selangor’s Petaling Jaya is believed to be a member of an East Asian terrorist group which have made Malaysia their transit and shelter.

“He entered Malaysia in 2011 using a student pass that is believed to be counterfeit from a public institute of higher learning in the Klang Valley,” Khalid said.

He added that preliminary investigations showed that this suspect had connections with another member from the same terror group that was arranging for the members to enter Malaysia, with the duo to later leave for Syria to join IS.

The remaining four arrested are Yemeni nationals nabbed on February 26 in Serdang and Cyberjaya and who are believed to be members of a rebel group in Yemen, Khalid said.

“Preliminary investigations found that they are also involved in the activities of a counterfeit travel document syndicate. Also seized in this operation are various international passports and cash in various currencies worth RM270,000 that is believed to be channelled to the rebel group,” he added.

The seven suspects were arrested for suspected commission of terrorism offences under the Penal Code and will be probed under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act’s procedures, while one of them is also arrested under the Immigration Act, he said.