KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police have arrested 12 people linked to the militant group Islamic State
and seized explosives, foiling a plan to attack several locations in and around the capital city.
The male suspects, aged 17 to 41, were arrested on Saturday and Sunday from Ulu Langat and Cheras,
suburbs near Kuala Lumpur, police chief Khalid Abu Baker said in a statement on Sunday.
The men were suspected of plotting attacks on "strategic targets and governmental interests around
the Klang Valley", he said.
The plans were in response to calls by Islamic State (IS) to launch terrorist attacks on secular Islamic
countries seen as "enemies of IS". Authorities said previous arrests of suspected IS militants was another
reason behind the intended attacks.
The explosives seized included 20 kg of ammonium nitrate and 20 kg of potassium nitrate, the statement added.
Security was heightened in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday as leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
started arriving in Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN summit, which opens officially on Monday.
But it was not clear whether any of the planned attacks were linked to the summit.
At the summit, Malaysia aims to push for regional cooperation to fight terrorism. The Southeast Asian country
has not seen any significant militant attacks but has arrested 92 citizens on suspicion of links to IS.
Authorities have identified 39 Malaysians in Syria and Iraq.
(Reporting by Trinna Leong; writing by Praveen Menon; editing by Jane Baird)
- Reuters
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QUOTE(LTZ @ Apr 26 2015, 07:52 PM)
QUOTE(ihatemynahs @ Apr 27 2015, 04:33 PM)
UPDATE
Putrajaya On Local Isis Suspects' Hit List, Say Police Sources
Members of Bukit Aman's counter-terrorism unit with the Isis terrorist suspects who were detained
on Saturday while on their way up to Gunung Nuang in Hulu Langat. – PDRM pic, April 27, 2015.
The 12 suspects, detained by the Bukit Aman's counter-terrorism unit over the past two days,
were planning to launch an attack on Putrajaya, police sources said.
It was learnt that the country’s administrative capital was one of many locations in the country on their hit list.
Other targets included buildings in Jalan Duta and also Bukit Perdana where the Kuala Lumpur court complex,
Bukit Aman commercial crimes department and other government facilities were located.
Information gathered so far revealed that the group was serious in pursuing the Islamic State (Isis) agenda
in the country by launching bomb attacks on government facilities.
“They were on their way up to the mountains to test the homemade bombs," sources said.
Police had picked up 11 suspects while they were on their way up Gunung Nuang in Hulu Langat on Saturday
evening while the last suspect was detained in a follow-up operation the next day.
Those arrested were aged between 17 and 41. Among them were school dropouts, university students,
businessmen and wiremen.
The methods in launching the attacks, sources revealed, were varied. Authorities also did not discount the possibility
that the group may have intended to use suicide bombers to carry out the attacks.
“It can happen. There are so many possibilities. They can put it (the bombs) under a car, or use suicide bombers... anything,”
sources said, on the condition of anonymity.
In the operation, police also found bomb-making materials in the suspects' backpacks.
Sources said police are still investigating how the group were brought together as checks revealed they did not know
one another prior to the "mountain-trekking activity".
Police believe the members of the group could have been introduced to each other over several meetings held before
going up the mountain.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid yesterday reportedly said the group was planning attacks on several strategic locations
in the Klang Valley, in a bid to avenge police clampdown on Isis sympathisers.
The targets, according to police intelligence, were "strategic and important" government buildings, Khalid added.
Among the explosive materials seized were 20kg of a powder suspected to be ammonium nitrate, 20kg of potassium nitrate,
two litres of kerosene, two remote controls, batteries, digital weighing machines and other items believed to be "ingredients"
and tools in bomb-making.
Khalid said the planned attacks were in response to a call by a senior Isis leader in Syria to launch attacks against the interests
of "secular Islamic countries" which the group deemed as its enemies.
The planned attacks were also meant as retaliation against the Malaysian police for the arrests of suspected Isis members and
sympathisers, and those detained on suspicion of terrorism, he added.
To date, more than 90 people have been detained by Malaysian police for alleged ties to Isis.
Earlier this month, 17 people were arrested for suspected involvement in the planning of terrorism activities in Kuala Lumpur.
Khalid had said then that the April 5 arrests included two people who had just returned from Syria. – April 27, 2015.
Islamic State flags and the ingredients that the terrorist suspects were carrying when they were detained.
Police believe the ingredients were to be used to make bombs. – PDRM pic, April 27, 2015.
SOS
This post has been edited by ihatemynahs: Apr 27 2015, 04:36 PMPutrajaya On Local Isis Suspects' Hit List, Say Police Sources
Members of Bukit Aman's counter-terrorism unit with the Isis terrorist suspects who were detained
on Saturday while on their way up to Gunung Nuang in Hulu Langat. – PDRM pic, April 27, 2015.
The 12 suspects, detained by the Bukit Aman's counter-terrorism unit over the past two days,
were planning to launch an attack on Putrajaya, police sources said.
It was learnt that the country’s administrative capital was one of many locations in the country on their hit list.
Other targets included buildings in Jalan Duta and also Bukit Perdana where the Kuala Lumpur court complex,
Bukit Aman commercial crimes department and other government facilities were located.
Information gathered so far revealed that the group was serious in pursuing the Islamic State (Isis) agenda
in the country by launching bomb attacks on government facilities.
“They were on their way up to the mountains to test the homemade bombs," sources said.
Police had picked up 11 suspects while they were on their way up Gunung Nuang in Hulu Langat on Saturday
evening while the last suspect was detained in a follow-up operation the next day.
Those arrested were aged between 17 and 41. Among them were school dropouts, university students,
businessmen and wiremen.
The methods in launching the attacks, sources revealed, were varied. Authorities also did not discount the possibility
that the group may have intended to use suicide bombers to carry out the attacks.
“It can happen. There are so many possibilities. They can put it (the bombs) under a car, or use suicide bombers... anything,”
sources said, on the condition of anonymity.
In the operation, police also found bomb-making materials in the suspects' backpacks.
Sources said police are still investigating how the group were brought together as checks revealed they did not know
one another prior to the "mountain-trekking activity".
Police believe the members of the group could have been introduced to each other over several meetings held before
going up the mountain.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid yesterday reportedly said the group was planning attacks on several strategic locations
in the Klang Valley, in a bid to avenge police clampdown on Isis sympathisers.
The targets, according to police intelligence, were "strategic and important" government buildings, Khalid added.
Among the explosive materials seized were 20kg of a powder suspected to be ammonium nitrate, 20kg of potassium nitrate,
two litres of kerosene, two remote controls, batteries, digital weighing machines and other items believed to be "ingredients"
and tools in bomb-making.
Khalid said the planned attacks were in response to a call by a senior Isis leader in Syria to launch attacks against the interests
of "secular Islamic countries" which the group deemed as its enemies.
The planned attacks were also meant as retaliation against the Malaysian police for the arrests of suspected Isis members and
sympathisers, and those detained on suspicion of terrorism, he added.
To date, more than 90 people have been detained by Malaysian police for alleged ties to Isis.
Earlier this month, 17 people were arrested for suspected involvement in the planning of terrorism activities in Kuala Lumpur.
Khalid had said then that the April 5 arrests included two people who had just returned from Syria. – April 27, 2015.
Islamic State flags and the ingredients that the terrorist suspects were carrying when they were detained.
Police believe the ingredients were to be used to make bombs. – PDRM pic, April 27, 2015.
SOS