KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian police said on Monday that 13 suspected militants were arrested in the country's eastern state of Sabah during operations last week.
The suspects, comprising of 12 Philippines citizens and one Malaysian, are aged between 23 and 63. They belong to several groups including the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Royal Sulu Force, according to Malaysian police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun.
At least two of the suspects are believed to have participated in a major armed incursion by Philippine militants into Sabah's Lahad Datu district in 2013.
"With these arrests, we are confident of apprehending the remnants of these groups who are hiding in Malaysia, mainly in the state of Sabah," the police said in a statement.
The state lies on the border with the Southern Philippines and has seen militants crossing the border for kidnapping.
The police said that other suspects were believed to have provided shelter to other terrorism suspects, including from the Middle East. Enditem