KUALA LUMPUR, 6 Sept 2017:
The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) has crippled a terrorist plot by Daesh militant group supporters in the country who planned to launch attacks during the closing ceremony of the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games (KL2017) and the National Day celebrations at Dataran Merdeka here, last week.
In his first statement after being appointed as the new Inspector-General of Police, Datuk Seri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the plot was foiled with the arrest of 19 men – eight locals and 11 foreigners – in seven series of operations from July 4 until Aug 30.
He said the Federal Police’s (Bukit Aman) Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division and the Bukit Aman Special Action Unit (UTK) detained the mastermind behind the plot, a 25-year-old Filipino, in Cheras on Aug 30.
“The (main) suspect, who is also an Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) member, had illegally entered Malaysia via Sandakan, Sabah before coming to Kuala Lumpur in December 2017.
“The information (we got) revealed that the suspect had planned to launch attacks during the KL2017 closing ceremony at the Bukit Jalil Stadium and the National Day parade at Dataran Merdeka.”
Mohamad Fuzi also said the suspect was picked up along with another Filipino and six locals, all aged between 20 and 52.
“Investigations revealed that the mastermind had joined in a battle against the Philippine army, involved in the kidnapping of six Filipino hostages and had beheaded a Christian hostage in the southern Philippines in 2010.
“The man had also met with Dr Mahmud Ahmad, Mohd Najib Hussein and Muhammad Juraimee Awang Ramlee (all of whom are Malaysians who have been active with ASG since 2014).”
The IGP said in the first arrest on July 4, police detained a Bangladeshi – who served as a religious teacher at Maahad Tahfiz Gombak, Selangor – over his alleged involvement as a member of the Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh, a Daesh-linked terrorist outfit.
“The 25-year-old man, who is wanted by the Bangladeshi police, had entered the country on Sept 4 last year to pursue (his) studies at a public institution of higher learning.”
Mohamad Fuzi said this was followed by the arrests of a Malaysian and two Maldivians, aged between 29 and 40, in Johor Bahru, Johor on Aug 7 and 9.
“The local suspect, a trader, is alleged to have six copies of Dabiq, a Daesh magazine, in his possession along with several articles related to the militant group in his mobile phone.
“On the other hand, the other two suspects, who worked as air-conditioning technicians, were suspected of using Malaysia as a transit point before travelling to Syria.”
In the third series of arrests on Aug 11, Mohamad Fuzi said a 63-year old retired Malaysian teacher was hauled up together with two Iraqi brothers in Bachok, Kelantan.
The former teacher was believed to have been actively promoting Daesh via two Facebook accounts while the two siblings, both technicians, were suspected to have acted as the militant group’s commanders in southern Iraq, he said.
Subsequently, police netted another Iraqi and a Palestinian on Aug 15 and 16 in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, respectively.
“The Palestinian is suspected of planning to join the Daesh militant group in southern Philippines while the Iraqi is believed to have been involved in an Albanian terrorist organisation linked to Daesh.”
Mohamad Fuzi said two Indonesians, aged 29 and 47, were arrested in Petaling Jaya, Selangor on Aug 25 for their alleged involvement in recruiting new members to join Daesh and were planning to leave for Syria to participate in Daesh activities over there.
All the 19 individuals were being detained and investigated under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), he added.
Mohamad Fuzi, who was Bukit Aman Special Branch director, succeeded Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar who went on mandatory retirement on Monday.
– Bernama