3 Would-Be Malaysian Jiha­dists Arrested By Police At The KL International Airport

Lured by a senior Malaysian militant through Facebook just three months ago, the three jihadists who were arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Thursday were “fresh” but eager to join the Islamic State (Isis) terror network, The Star reported today.

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The architect and a technician, both 26, and a 42-year-old shopkeeper were part of a wider network, all of whom joined IS to achieve martyrdom in their “false” jihad. “The police have already identified the recruiter. The suspects are considered still ‘fresh’ but willing to join IS in their false jihad,” a source said in an interview yesterday.

Police believed the suspects were in contact with other Malaysian fighters in Syria. It is believed the three had met in Klang along with their “handler” several times to plan their impen­ding trip to Syria.

“Police are investigating if the suspects had any plans against Malay­sian targets but, so far, there is no such indication,” said the source, adding that the meetings were held at the architect’s house in Klang. The suspects would use different modes of transport and routes to get to the Klang home each time to avoid detection.

Soon after the three were arrested, officers from the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division brought the men to their homes – in Klang, Kota Baru and Arau – where further investigations were carried out. “Police seized an IS flag and seve­ral computers belonging to the suspects.

Family members appeared not to know of the suspects' activities when interviewed by police. “There was a family however who consented to it as they believed he would be fighting in a holy war,” the source said, according to the report.

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Sources said the Malaysian links to foreign groups in neighbouring countries were “quite real” as there were five wanted Malaysian militants who received training by Abu Sayyaf and were believed to have fled to southern Philippines, a known Abu Sayyaf stronghold.

“Police are investigating if the three suspects had had any weapons training in the country or with Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines. So far, police believe the suspects are not linked to terror groups based in Sabah or Sarawak, including Darul Islam Sabah,” the source said.

“We will continue to take action against any Malaysian who plans to join IS in Syria. We also ask the public to be wary of the activities of their family members, especially the youth,” he said in a statement. Khalid urged anyone with information to contact the nearest police station or the division at 03-2266 7010 or 011-2104 6850 or e-mail the police at [email protected].

Police seized 15 rifles, a shotgun and 1,579 rounds of ammunition in a raid on an abandoned house here and arrested three men, including a British citizen. Kedah police chief Senior Deputy Comm Datuk Ahmad Ibrahim said the three were picked up at separate locations. He said the raid on the abandoned house in Kampung Belanga Pecah at about 9pm on Wednesday resulted in the arrest of a 44-year-old local.

The seizure is believed to be rela­ted to an earlier case on Sept 18, when police stormed a luxury yacht and arrested a 43-year-old South African and his female Thai friend and recovered seven Italian-made Benelli Agro rifles and several hundred rounds of ammunition. SDCP Ahmad said that while both cases did not have any link with terrorist activities, the firearms were found wrongfully stored at unauthorised locations.

“A forwarding company applied for permits to keep the firearms on behalf of merchant vessels and ow­ners of the firearms but misused the permits issued. “The firearms and ammunition were moved from the vessels to another location or owner, which clearly violates the conditions of the permits,” said SDCP Ahmad.

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