Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian police said on February 21 thatthey had arrested 11 Malaysians and Filipinos for suspected link to terroristorganisations, including the Abu Sayyaf militant group in the southernPhilippines.
This was the result of police operations from January 24 toFebruary 6.
Among the suspects, 10 were arrested in Sabah State.Notably, there is a 39-year-old Filipino who has received weapon training inthe southern Philippines and received order from a senior Islamic State (IS)leader in southern Philippines to bring in several militants to join the ISgroup in Zamboanga via Malaysia.
Another suspect was a 34-year-old Malaysian man, arrestedupon deportation back to Malaysia from Singapore, where he was picked up by theSingaporean authorities for attempting to go to Syria to join the IS there.
Investigations revealed that the Abu Sayyaf group wasattempting to form a terror cell in Sabah to arrange for the entry of IS militantsin Southeast Asia to southern Philippines. The cell would later be used tolaunch attacks in Sabah.-VNA