Foreigners with IS links held
Four men high on wanted list arrested in Sandakan
KUALA LUMPUR: Four militants with Islamic State (IS) links have been arrested in Sandakan, Sabah, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun.
The men, who were arrested on Monday, were from neighbouring countries and were high on the police’s wanted list, he said.
“They were using Sandakan as a transit point to go into southern Philippines,” he said, confirming the arrest, at the launch of the “Crime Prevention: Snatch Theft and Pickpockets” campaign outside Pavilion Mall here yesterday.
He said the men, aged 31 to 40, were detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).
It is unclear if the arrests are connected to a man who was killed, also on Monday, in a shoot-out with security forces near Lahad Datu.
Mohamad Fuzi said on Tuesday that the man, Abu Paliyak or Kamaner Paliyak @ Yusof, was also high on police’s wanted list, and was believed to have been involved in several robberies with various groups operating in southern Philippines, including the Abu Sayyaf and Remy Group kidnap-for-ransom outfits.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Fuzi claimed that the overall crime index in the city had gone down by 24.99% in December from January, thanks to efforts by police and the public.
“In fact, the crime index, overall in the whole country, has gone down by 13.5% except for a slight increase in Sabah.
“However, pickpockets and snatch thieves remain worrisome and I have ordered all state police chiefs to ensure the crime rate reduces even more significantly,” he said.
Mohamad Fuzi said he had instructed Bukit Aman Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department director Datuk Tajudin Md Isa to work with existing policing units, NGOs and volunteer groups to reduce the crime rate further before the end of the year.