Home minister: FBIflagged NGO trio have no extremist links

PUTRAJAYA: Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said three leaders of local Islamic non-governmental organisations (NGOs) listed by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Terrorist Screening Centre were not found to be involved in any extremism.

He said this was based on the Royal Malaysia Police’s (PDRM) previous screening prior to their involvement in the Ops Ihsan movement to manage humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza, Palestine, involving 359 individuals from 53 NGOs groups.

“Before we initiated the operation, we conducted thorough checks to ensure there were no issues when they carried out the operation in Gaza.

“Based on our examination, all NGOs involved in Operation Ihsan have been scrutinised for security, including police records, and none of them are associated with violence issues,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

Asked whether they had received a police report, he confirmed that they got one from the coordinator of the humanitarian operation after the three individuals in the TSC were exposed.

“So far, we have received only one police report, not from the three individuals themselves, but from their coordinator. When these names were revealed, the coordinator filed a report, and the police will initiate an investigation,” he explained.

Also asked whether the government would engage in discussions with the FBI, Saifuddin explained that the current priority is the security and sovereignty of the nation.

He also said that the United States is in the process of enacting legislation aimed at preventing international financing for Hamas. The three Malaysians are said to be Awang Suffian Awang Piut from Aman Palestin Berhad, Ahmad Musa Al from Persatuan Cinta Syria, and Datuk Abu Bakar Abdul from Dunia Melayu Dunia Islam (DMDI).

Ops Ihsan, initiated by former foreign minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, originated as a joint initiative between the Foreign Ministry and various NGOs to organise and deliver humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people.

Under the coordination of the Foreign Ministry, Ops Ihsan is spearheaded by Mahar, in collaboration with over 50 other NGOs such as Global Peace Mission (GPM) Malaysia, Red A Humanitarian Development Global, Mercy Malaysia, Pertubuhan Ihsan Johor, BeVital, and the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations (Mapim).