Ahmad Zahid (front second left) arriving for the Dewan Rakyat sitting. — Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) with cooperation from international intelligence agencies detained 132 individuals suspected of associating with elements of terrorism including IS militants.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said action was taken against 22 of them under the Crime Prevention Act 1959.
“Thirty-eight were released, 48 are in the prosecution stage , 14 were banished from the country and one is under investigation,” he told the Dewan Rakyat here yesterday.
He was responding to Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah (BN-Lenggong) who had asked about the security level in the country and why international terrorists had chosen Malaysia as a transit point.
Ahmad Zahid who is also Home Minister did not provide further details as police were still investigating.
He said to prevent IS from gaining a foothold in the country, the government through the
home ministry and PDRM initiated an information-sharing cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies particularly Asean member states.
“From the information obtained, police carried out intensive monitoring and tracked down those believed to be associating with the terrorist group,” he said.
As for security in the country, he said it was good and under control from terrorist threat in and outside the country.
To Shamsul Anuar’s conjecture that international terrorists had chosen Malaysia as a transit point, Ahmad Zahid said it could not be confirmed that the country was being used to access a third country.
He said the names of suspected terrorists had been submitted to the Immigration Department for blacklisting and included in the Suspects’ List, to prevent their entry and exit into the country.
Ahmad Zahid said the government was also in the process of implementing the Advanced Passenger Screening System.
He said the Home Ministry together with PDRM, Prisons Department and relevant agencies had created a rehabilitation module for individuals who had been detained for involvement in terrorism.
This was in line with the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 enforced on Sept 1, according to him. — Bernama