KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian police said on Friday that six terror suspects had been arrested in recent operations over suspicion of terrorists link.
Two of the suspects are Malaysian nationals while the remaining four are from Singapore, Bangladesh, the Philippines and an unnamed South Asian country, according to a statement by Malaysian police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun.
The suspects were arrested between mid-December to late January in several states across the country. They are aged between 21 to 48, with most either were raising funds or recruiting for the Islamic State (IS), while one suspect was providing shelter to an individual listed on an Interpol Red Notice for terrorism and criminal activity.
The Singapore suspect had been involved in planning an attack on a building used by a Freemason in Malaysia's southern city Johor Baru which borders Singapore, the statement said, adding that the arrest was made possible through corporation between Malaysia's Special Branch and Singapore's Internal Security Department.
The 21-year-old Philippines national who was arrested in Malaysia's Sabah state bordering the restive south Philippines, belongs to the Abu Sayyaf militant group and was an expert on handling a variety of weapons.
"He was also in contact with Furuji Idama, the senior leader of the militant group. This brings the total number of militants from the group arrested in Malaysia since 2017 to 39," the statement said.
