16 TERROR SUSPECTS DETAINED
Some of them intended to attack politicians and non-Muslims, say cops
POLICE have arrested 16 suspected militants in a series of operations in seven states from July and September.
The suspects — three Malaysians, 12 Indonesians and one Indian citizen — were detained in Sabah, Selangor, Sarawak, Penang, Pahang, here and in Johor between July 10 and Sept 25.
Federal police Special Branch’s Counter Terrorism division assistant principal director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said in the latest operation from Sept 14 to Sept 25, one Malaysian and 11 Indonesians were arrested on suspicion of planning to attack politicians and non-Muslims in the country.
“The operations were conducted in Miri, Penang, Pahang, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, as well as Johor. The 12 suspects, including one Indonesian woman, aged between 22 and 36, had established a new Islamic State (IS) cell to promote the militant ideology on social media.
“They were actively recruiting Malaysians and Indonesians on the platform. They had planned to launch attacks in Malaysia and Indonesia once they recruited a sufficient number of members.
“The Malaysians intended to attack politicians and non-Muslims on the basis that they had insulted and disrespected Malays and Islamic teachings,” he said yesterday.
Police arrested a 25-year-old Indonesian man in Keningau, Sabah on July 10, who had pledged bay’ah (an oath of allegiance) to IS leader Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi on the Telegram application.
“The suspect had acted as a facilitator in arranging a married couple and their three children to be suicide bombers at a church in Jolo, southern Philippines in December last year.
“He had also funded the Maute militant group in southern Philippines and planned for jihad in Syria.”
Another two Malaysians, aged 21 and 26, were arrested in Keningau and Tenom, Sabah, for the same offence on Sept 6.
On Aug 2, a 38-year-old Indian woman working as a domestic cleaner was arrested in Subang Jaya.
The suspect is the leader who funded “Sikh for Justice”, a group that has been banned by the Indian government.
Ayob said the woman had been deported to her home country on Aug 15.