I.S. MILITANTS DETAINED
Religious teacher, Indonesian worker had planned to kill non-Muslims, attack police stations
THE religious school teacher had spent a year in jail for being a member of the Islamic State (IS) group before being released in November 2016.
But the rehabilitation programme he underwent behind bars proved ineffective, and upon regaining his freedom, the 25year-old rejoined IS and began plotting terror attacks against non-Muslims.
On Dec 23 last year, he was rearrested by Special Branch Counter-Terrorism (CT) Division operatives.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said yesterday the teacher was one of two people arrested for IS involvement in less than a month. Both, he said, had planned to carry out attacks in the country.
Fuzi said the teacher, who worked at a private religious school in Subang Jaya, was arrested in Petaling Jaya.
“He was arrested under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 on Nov 9, 2015, and sentenced to 18 months’ jail before being released (early) on Nov 9, 2016.
“(However), he rejoined IS and planned to launch attacks on entertainment outlets in the Klang Valley.
“He also planned to rob, kidnap or kill non-Muslims based on his understanding that non-Muslims in Malaysia are kafir harbi (nonbelievers who are against Islam), and, therefore, it was halal to shed their blood.”
The teacher had also been promoting IS’s Salafi jihadi ideology on Facebook.
He befriended former militants and senior members of Kumpulan Militan Malaysia, who were arrested under the repealed Internal Security Act.
Fuzi said CT operatives also detained an Indonesian construction worker on Wednesday, who was planning to attack the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman and the Travers police station to seize weapons.
“He had intended to seize firearms from other police stations and army camps to be used in attacks in Malaysia and Indonesia.
“In November last year, the suspect, armed with a knife, conducted ‘reconnaissance’ in Jalan Pudu. He planned to kill a Buddhist monk in retaliation for the Myanmar government’s cruelty against the Rohingya.
“However, his plan failed. During a search, police found the knife he intended to use.”
Fuzi said the foreigner had pledged allegiance to IS in a WhatsApp message with a senior member of the terror group, and was involved in recruiting his countrymen for the cause.
He said the Indonesian, in trying to prove that IS was active in Malaysia, had displayed the terror organisation’s flag at the construction site where he worked.