Saturday, Apr 27, 2024 | Last Update : 10:11 PM IST
Malaysia detains eight for alleged links with terror groups
'Six suspects are believed to be members of Tandzim Al-Qaeda', says police official
Kuala Lumpur
: Eight militants, including two civil servants, have been detained in Malaysia for their alleged links to terror groups like the Islamic State, police said on Monday.
The Inspector-General of Police said the suspects aged between 22 and 36, all Malaysian nationals, were detained in simultaneous swoops in the three states by the Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division late last month.
"Six of the suspects are believed to be members of Tandzim Al-Qaeda while the other two have links to the Islamic State (IS)," Khalid said in a statement on Monday.
He said two of the suspects, both aged 28, were civil servants.
"We believe these two are members of IS, belonging to the same cell as the two civil servants detained in August. This particular cell is responsible for spreading IS ideology among their colleagues at this government department," he said.
The other six men were suspected members of Tandzim Al-Qaeda, also known as Al-Qaeda in the Malay Archipelago.
Khalid said two of the suspects, aged 24 and 33, were previously detained in Lebanon on October 18, 2012, for trying to smuggle themselves into Syria to join the terror group.
