ISIS terror plot in Kuala Lumpur foiled; 2 detained

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said one of the suspects was close to Ahmad Effendi Manaf, the Malaysian suicide bomber killed in Syria last year. THE STAR/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK

KUALA LUMPUR — Two Malaysians linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terror group have been detained by police for planning attacks in Kuala Lumpur.

Their targets are believed to be western interests and entertainment outlets in the city.

The first suspect, aged 28, was arrested by the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division on July 2.

This was followed by the arrest of the second suspect, aged 31, on July 7.

The 28-year-old suspect had been influenced by ISIS ideology since 2012 and was taking orders from senior European ISIS leaders.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the man was close to Ahmad Effendi Manaf, the Malaysian suicide bomber killed in Syria last year.

He said the second suspect had gone to Syria in early 2014 and returned to Malaysia in August the same year after being injured in one of the clashes in Syria.

We believe both suspects held meetings since late last year. It is definitely a worrying trend that IS members are directly taking orders from IS leaders in Syria to launch attacks in their home countries,” said Khalid.

He added in a statement on Thursday that the new modus operandi was “certainly similar” to attacks that occurred in Kuwait, France and Tunisia last month

The IGP vowed that the police would remain vigilant and not let any attack occurred on Malaysian soil.

“We also seized several books on jihad and several receipts on purchases of tactical gear,” he said.