Malaysian Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador (second from left) shows the items seized during anti-terrorism raids. (Photo: Bernama)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian police have detained four men suspected forplotting assassinations and terror attacks during the Muslim holy month ofRamadan.
Inspector General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador said the four suspects, agedbetween 20 and 46 years old, included two Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar, anIndonesian, and a Malaysia.
The four have admitted to being an Islamic State “wolf pack”. They had plannedto murder high-profile personalities and launch large-scale attacks at placesof worship and entertainment outlets during the first week of Ramadan. Themastermind of the wolf pack was a 34-year-old Malaysian construction worker.
Police seized one pistol with 15 bullets and siximprovised explosive devices, which were smuggled in from a neighbouringcountry.
Hamid Bador said that the group was set up in January, with police arrestingits members just in time on May 5-7, right at the beginning of Ramadan whenthey had planned to carry out their attacks. Ramadan began on May 5 and isobserved until June 4.
One of the Rohingya suspects, a 20-year-old waiter, told police he was asupporter of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an insurgent group saidto be behind a number of killings and attacks in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, AbdulHamid said. He had planned to attack the Myanmar Embassy in Kuala Lumpur andcontinue his jihad mission in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
The police were still searching for three more members of the group whohad gone into hiding.
To date, the only successful attack in Malaysia by the IS terror group was agrenade attack on a nightclub in June 2016 which injured eight people. Theattackers were subsequently arrested and imprisoned. –VNA
VNA
