Police apprehended three individuals suspected of being jihadist militants at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) yesterday.
The three – an architect, a technician and a shopkeeper – were about to board a flight to Turkey when they were detained by members of Bukit Aman’s Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division at 8.55am.
The Star Online reports that the architect and technician, both 26, were from Pahang and Perlis respectively. The shopkeeper, 42, is from Kelantan and is believed to be married with six children.
Principal assitant director of the Counter Terrorism Division, Senior Assistant Commissioner Ayob Khan, was quoted as saying, “Initial investigations revealed that the suspects were planning to board a flight to Istanbul, which transited in Doha.
“From Turkey, these men were planning to book a passage into Syria where they would join the Islamic State terror group.”
Prior to the arrests, police raided the homes of the three suspects without their knowledge, and discovered among other articles, an Islamic State flag.
“We believe these men were recruited by Malaysian militants via social media sites, such as Facebook,” SAC Ayob said. “The suspects were also in contact with other Malaysians fighting in Syria.”
Anyone with information pertaining to suspected militant activities are urged to contact the nearest police station or the Counter Terrorism Division at 03-2266 7010 or 011-2104 6850 or e-mail the police at CTD.E8M@gmail.com.
