By Jason Ng
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--Malaysian police arrested 14 people,
including a teenager, suspected of having links to the militant
group Islamic State, in a three-day operation that ended
Wednesday.
The 14 suspects, all Malaysian nationals, were arrested in
Selangor state, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said
in a statement. None of the suspects, aged 14 to 48, were
named.
Three of the suspects were allegedly "prime movers in a cell
responsible for recruiting, financing, and arranging travel of
Malaysian citizens to join terror group in Syria," Mr. Khalid
said.
One of the suspects allegedly operated a Facebook account that
promotes and recruits Malaysians to wage holy war in Syria. Five
suspects came from a family that allegedly planned to join Islamic
State in Syria, he added.
"They were arrested based on police surveillance on their
preparation to head for Syria via Turkey," Mr. Khalid was quoted as
saying in an earlier report Wednesday from Bernama, the state news
agency.
Including the latest group, police have arrested 36 people
suspected of having links to Islamic State since April, Bernama
reported, citing Mr. Khalid.
Authorities are increasingly worried that Malaysians traveling
to fight in Iraq and Syria could return home and carry out attacks
on Malaysian soil.
In August, authorities said they foiled plans by homegrown
militants to attack a brewery in Selangor owned by Danish beer
maker Carlsberg A/S.
A top counterterror official told The Wall Street Journal in
September that the planned attack on the beer maker had been at an
early stage and the 19 people allegedly involved had sworn loyalty
to Islamic State and acquired bomb-making materials.
On Wednesday, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told Parliament
that authorities have identified 39 Malaysians as having links with
militant groups, including Islamic State, Bernama said.
Write to Jason Ng at jason.ng@wsj.com
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