Militants held, explosive seized
IS members threatened to attack cops
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have detained a senior Islamic State (IS) member and 13 other suspected militants, and seized a ready-made Improvised Explosive Device (IED) meant for attacking Bukit Aman top brass.
The 14 were picked up by Bukit Aman’s Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division in Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Penang and Sabah between July 14 and July 20.
It is learnt that the 1kg IED, capable of destroying a vehicle upon impact, was in a house in Kampung Melayu, Sungai Buloh, that one of the militants led the police to.
The house is believed to be a storage place for the terror group.
Of those detained, 12 of them belong to the same cell as the militants who were detained late last month and are suspected of taking orders from Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi to launch attacks against the top Bukit Aman officers.
Among them, two worked as cooks at a franchise restaurant in the Klang Valley, two were employed at a private company, one was a student at a private university and another was a mechanic.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said one of the suspects confessed to sharing knowledge on how to make IEDs on the Telegram app with other IS militants.
“He also claimed to have received orders from Muhammad Wanndy to make an IED for attacks in the Klang Valley.
“Muhammad Wanndy also promised to supply him with a pistol through a middleman to defend himself against the police,” said Khalid in a statement yesterday.
He added that a 49-year-old suspect arrested in Kedah was a senior IS member who was active in recruiting members through secret usrah (talks) in Sik.
“He was also responsible for arranging safe passage for militants to head to Syria.
“One of his recruits was Abu Ghani Yaacob @ Abu Kedah who was killed in Syria on April 17,” said Khalid.
The sole woman – a 43-year-old who was arrested in Perak – was active in promoting IS propaganda and was planning to head out to southern Philippines with the help of known fugitive militant Dr Mahmud Ahmad, the IGP added.
Sources revealed that the senior IS member had been actively recruiting since 2014 and that the 20-year-old student belonged to the same cell which attacked the Movida nightclub on June 28.
“The woman was a former security guard who quit her job during Ramadan,” the source said.
The latest arrests were follow-up operations after two militants responsible for the bombing at the Movida nightclub in Puchong were detained along with 13 other militants on June 28 and July 1.
Among those arrested, two are low-level police officers in Kedah and Penang.
Of the 15, aged between 19 and 52, seven were nabbed in Kedah, four in Selangor, two in Kuala Lumpur, one in Penang and one in Malacca.