Police say IS suspects likely trained in Thailand

BUKIT AMAN Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division head DCP Datuk Ayob Khan says the 23 Islamic State (IS) suspects from Kelantan arrested in the last few years were believed to have received training in Thailand.

He said investigations showed that their Thai counterparts provided them with training, including in bomb making.

However, he said despite it being a state bordering Thailand, Kelantan has not become an IS training ground, Sin Chew Daily reported on Saturday.

He said the 23 IS suspects detained by police since 2013 included two women picked up in Kota Baru and Kuala Krai.

“We found that they have very close links with Indonesian and Thai IS networks, and Kelantan was one of the places they would meet up.”

Ayob disclosed that some of these suspects had been released, some charged in court while the rest are being detained under the Prevention of Crime Act 1959.

He said for the safety and security of the people, the police continue to watch out for IS suspects throughout the country, particularly in the states bordering Thailand.

Based on statistics, the number of IS suspects arrested in Kelantan in the last five years was the fifth highest in the country, after Perak, which saw 39, Kedah (36), Kuala Lumpur (34) and Johor (29).

More than 300 people have been picked up for suspected links to IS activities in the country since 2013, including students and foreigners.