Malaysian who threatened to kill King among seven suspected militants arrested in four-state swoop

[KUALA LUMPUR] Seven suspected Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (IS) militants, including a Malaysian who threatened to kill the Malaysian king and top leaders, were detained following a four-state swoop, said police.

Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the suspects - four Malaysians and three Indonesians - were detained in Terengganu, Selangor, Perak and Johor in a special operation held from July 12 till July 17.

"We made the first arrest on July 12 in Terengganu, where a 26-year-old Indonesian man was detained.

"The suspect is a member of Negara Islam Indonesia (NII) terror group, who has received weapons training in Bandung between 2015 and 2018," he said in a statement on Thursday.

The suspect's wife, who is a Malaysian, also swore an oath of allegiance to the NII terror group, added the IGP.

"The suspect and his wife planned to take the rest of their family to Syria to join the IS," he said.

Mohamad Fuzi said a 27-year-old Indonesian man in Petaling Jaya was the second person to be arrested on July 12.

"He is an IS member and we found 100 videos and 90 photos of the terror group on his mobile phone.

"We believed he actively promoted the IS on social media and he planned to join them in Syria," he said.

A 42-year-old Indonesian factory operation is the third suspect picked up in Ipoh, Perak, on July 14.

"He is believed to have a connection with the Jamaah Ansharul Daulah terror group. This group was responsible for killing an Indonesian policeman in West Java on May 10," he said.

Mohamad Fuzi said the next arrests involved a 42-year-old Malaysian man and 24-year-old Malaysian woman in Johor on July 16.

"The woman transferred RM4,000 to militant Muhammad Nasrullah Latif, also known as Abu Gomez, who was killed in Syria earlier this year.

Muhammad Nasrullah had posted on his Facebook page threatening to launch attacks in Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines after Hari Raya.

"The 42-year-old Malaysian man was also in close contact with militant leader Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, who has also been killed in Syria," he said.

The sixth arrest involved a 34-year-old Malaysian man, who threatened to kill the Malaysian king, Sultan Muhammad V, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mujahid Yusof Rawa.

"He had posted the threat on Facebook as he sees the King and Malaysian leaders as 'toghut'. He feels that they are not governing the country based on Islamic teachings," the IGP said.

Mohamad Fuzi said the last arrest involved a 21-year-old Malaysian man in Masai, Johor, who works as a factory operator.

"He was planning to head to Syria to fight alongside other IS militants," the IGP added.

THE STRAITS TIMES