Police escorting one of the suspected militants to the lockup. — Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR: A religious teacher is among six men including two siblings, linked to the Daesh militant group picked up by the police in four states since Tuesday.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the suspects aged between 23 and 54 were held in Kelantan, Selangor, Kedah and Perak in separate operations by the Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division.
In a statement here yesterday, he said a 27-year-old cattle breeder was the first suspect nabbed on May 23 in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan when he heeded police order to surrender and provide information on firearm smuggling in southern Thailand.
The second and third arrests involved two brothers aged 23 and 29 in Perak and Kedah on May 25 and 26, respectively, added Khalid.
The brothers comprising a religious teacher and an online trader were suspected of supporting and assisting Daesh terrorists in Syria.
According to Khalid, the brothers were aiding the group and were related to a man who had ordered a Daesh member in Sabah to launch a ‘lone wolf’ attack on Aug 6, 2016.
That man was expected to take over the role of Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, a Malaysian who was killed in a drone attack in Raqqa on April 29, the IGP said in the statement.
Khalid said the fourth arrest on May 25 was made in Kulim, Kedah and it involved a 54-year-old army retiree responsible for channeling more than RM20,000 to Daesh terrorists in Syria. One of his sons had also joined the Daesh terrorists in Syria, he added.
“The fifth and sixth suspects aged 31 and 33 were picked up in Selangor and Kedah. One of the suspects worked as a quality control officer in a private company while the other was unemployed,” said Khalid, adding that both supported and assisted the Daesh group in Syria.
He said all the suspects were detained under Chapter VIA – for offences related to terrorism – of the Penal Code and would be investigated according to procedures of the Security Offences (Special Measures) 2012. — Bernama