Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun – Bernama file photo
KUCHING: Three suspects with links to a terrorist group Ansar Al-Shariah Al-Tunisia were arrested by the Special Branch’s Counter Terrorism Division in Serian on Feb 2.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun in a statement today, revealed that one of the suspects is an 21-year-old Egyptian man who is believed to be a fighter for the Ansar Al-Shariah Al-Tunisia terror group which is part of the al-Qaeda terrorist network operating in North Africa.
“Also arrested were two Malaysians (one man and one woman) who acted as facilitators for the Egyptian,” said Mohamad Fuzi was reported by Bernama as saying, adding that both locals are aged between 20 to 54 years old.
Besides the arrests in Sarawak, the counter terrorism division also arrested six foreign suspects between Feb 2 and 9 in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.
Two Egyptian students aged 24 and 28, who were studying at a university in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor as well as a 42-year-old Egyptian, who teaches at a religious school in Kuala Lumpur were arrested on Feb 2.
On Feb 4, the counter terrorism division arrested a 22-year-old Tunisian national believed to be a fighter for the terror group in Kuala Lumpur, while on Feb 9, another Egyptian facilitator aged 50-year-old who works as an Arabic Language teacher was arrested in Ampang, Selangor.
“The Egyptian suspects admitted that they are members of the Ikhwanul Muslimin and act as the facilitators by providing the Ansar Al-Shariah Al Tunisia fighters with lodgings, transportation, jobs and assisting them to purchase airline tickets,” he added.
Mohamad Fuzi said the operation to hunt down the foreign terror suspects was based on intelligence that were gathered from foreign agencies on the presence of “foreign terrorist fighters” from Ansar Al-Shariah Al-Tunisia in Malaysia.
All the seven foreign suspects were deported on March 5 and blacklisted for life from entering Malaysia as their presence is a threat to national security.
He said the presence of foreign terrorist fighters can turn Malaysia into a base to carry out terror attacks in or outside the country.