KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Special Branch is continuing investigations into the nine suspected militants arrested in three states in the peninsula last week but has shifted focus to tracking a middle man — also understood to be a Malaysian — who has links to rebel groups in Syria.
A source close to investigation told the Malay Mail that police interrogation of the 11 suspects detained revealed the militant group members had a connection with a man who had contacts with a wide network of rebel groups in various countries, especially in the Middle East.
“The man is probably a member or linked to this new militant group that we have discovered and once we get him he may lead the investigation team to more information on this group and activities they have been planning,” said the source.
Police had previously said the suspects — members of a violent new terror group — were planning bomb attacks in Muslim countries.
This is the first major bust of suspected militants or terrorists in the country since February last year, when two men and a woman were detained in Kajang, Selangor.
The source said although the name kept popping up during interrogation police have yet to confirm his identity.
“The man kept a lot of information to himself, which means he could be high up in the hierarchy of this militant group,” said the source.
“The investigation team is also closely tracking several other members expected to be arrested soon.
“The target set is to wipe out the entire network and we are already in the midst of getting in touch with our foreign counterparts.”
“We believed there are at least another 10 members out there and investigations are underway to track them down.”
The source said foreign assistance was needed as police believed some of the suspects had fled the country or were planning to since Special Branch launched its crackdown.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the nine suspects detained included students, odd-job workers and professionals.
Police seized combat fatigues, jihad books, hunting knives, samurai swords and the flag of an international terrorist group.
The militant group has networks in and outside the country and had taken part in jihad missions in countries undergoing turmoil.
The group reportedly models itself on al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah, under the guise of humanitarian missions.
The militant group is understood to have been operating since last year and has recruited members via Facebook.
The 10 detained had allegedly been planning violence at home and abroad since early last October.
The timing of the arrests on the day of the departure of US President Barack Obama raised eyebrows but police sources said it had nothing to do with the visit.
The group is believed to work as a radical Islamist movement in general.
The first nine suspects were detained by Special Branch teams from its E8 intelligence unit, with arrests being made in Selangor and Kedah.
The Malay Mail
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