Eight terror suspects arrested
THEY are students and former teachers of a religious centre in Perlis that is linked to an extremist group in Yemen, say police.
EIGHT terrorist suspects linked to a religious centre advocating Salafi jihadism in Perlis were arrested on Sept 24 for disrupting public order.
The five Europeans, one American, one West Asian and one Malaysian — aged between 24 and 38 — are made up of students, former teachers and former students of the centre.
They were arrested by the Bukit Aman Special Branch’s Counter-Terrorism Division in raids in Perlis, Johor and here.
Among the suspects was the brother-in-law of a prominent terrorist in the Asean region that is linked to the Syeikh Muqbil madrasah (school) in Yemen.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said yesterday the arrests came after obtaining intelligence on terrorist groups trying to set up religious centres in the region.
“Initial investigation and intelligence sharing with other intelligence agencies disclosed that foreign teachers and foreign students at the religious centre are linked to a madrasah in Dammaj, Yemen, founded by Syeikh Muqbil Hadi Al Wadi’l, an extreme Salafi jihadist.
“That madrasah in Yemen upholds Salafi jihadism that permits killing non-Muslims and Muslims who do not follow their ideology.
“They considered these people kafir (unbelievers) and labelled the democracy system as toghut (not following Allah’s law).”
Fuzi said preliminary questioning of the suspects revealed that they rejected democracy and had been indoctrinated with extremism, such as not allowing women to wear pants.
“They also claimed that secular education at public and private higher education institutions is haram (forbidden). They are not allowed to work as there are men and women (at workplaces) and labelled Muslims who practised such behaviour as bida’ah (unacceptable religious practices).”
He said the arrests were made to stop the dissemination of the Salafi jihadism ideology that had been a catalyst for the propagation of terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiah, Abu Sayyaf, Boko Haram and others.
“This is not the first time that foreign Salafi jihadism elements have used Malaysia as a base to promote their ideology.
“The same modus operandi was used by Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Bashir, Jemaah Islamiah leaders who entered Malaysia in 1985 and set up religious centres in Negri Sembilan and Johor to advocate Salafi jihadism and recruit members.”
The first arrest was made in Perlis where six men — five Europeans from the same country and an American — were nabbed.
“Intelligence revealed that the six suspects are either members of IS or other terrorist cells in their home country.”
The second arrest involved a 33-year-old man from the Middle East. He was a former teacher of the religious centre and has been actively organising unsanctioned religious classes to propagate Salafi jihadism among Malaysians in the Klang Valley.
The third arrest was made in Muar, Johor, involving a 32-yearold Malaysian businessman, a former student of the religious centre in 2014. He was found to have rejected democracy and supported the implementation of the caliphate system in Malaysia.