Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysia’s policeannounced on December 22 that they had arrested 20 suspects, including 13foreigners, for link to recent terrorist activities.
According to Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun,the suspects were captured in a counter-terrorism operation carried out in fourstates between November 30 and December 15.
Among them is a 50-year-old Filipino suspected of recruitinghis fellow countrymen in Malaysia to the Abu Sayyaf Group, and a 24-year-oldIndonesian man, believed to be a leader of the Jamaah Ansharut Daulah terrorgroup, which supports the Islamic State (IS).
The latter was involved in a July 2017 bombing in Bandung,Indonesia before entering Malaysia to escape arrest by the Indonesiaauthorities, Mohamad Fuzi said.
The Southeast Asian country has been on high alert sincegunmen linked to the IS launched multiple attacks in Jakarta, the capital ofneighbouring Indonesia in January 2016.
Between 2012 and April 2017, a total of 989 people were arrested underMalaysia’s anti-terrorism law-VNA