Suspected extremists held in Malaysia

TEN SUSPECTED Islamic militants who were trying to establish a Malaysian cell of a Philippine kidnap-forransom group have been arrested in Borneo island, police said Wednesday.

The alleged extremists, mostly Filipinos, are also accused of trying to help fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group travel to the Philippines to join up with militants there, they said.

Malaysian police made the arrests in January and early February in the state of Sabah on the Malaysian part of Borneo.

Seven of those detained were Filipinos, including several senior members of Philippine extremist group Abu Sayyaf which has been behind kidnappings of numerous foreigners, Malaysian national police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement.

The other three detained were Malaysians, police said. Officials did not disclose the suspects’ identities. —