Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division nabbed the 44-year-old Briton together with a 25-year-old Bangladeshi, a 29-year-old Nigerian, a 31-year-old Indonesian and a 59-year-old Malaysian, who is also a Rela member, in a series of raids in Selangor, Kelantan, Johor and here between Nov 16 and Dec 1.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the British national, a Muslim convert who had been under surveillance for some time, was arrested in Jalan Duta on Nov 16.
“He fought in Afghanistan and Bosnia after joining al-Qaeda. He was working as a part-time English teacher in Penang and we have been monitoring him closely,” the IGP said.
The Nigerian, who had been using his guise as a student in a private college in Petaling Jaya for his terrorism-related activities, was arrested a day later.
Investigators believe that he is actively connected to terror groups in Africa.
Both the Briton and Nigerian have since been deported.
The three other suspects, an Indonesian, a Bangladeshi and a Malaysian, are believed to have links to the IS.
The Indonesian, identified as the leader of the cell, was nabbed on Dec 1 in Benut, Pontian, where he was working as a mechanic.
The IGP said the man had performed the bai’ah (pledge of loyalty) to IS’ “Caliph” Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi via Facebook in mid 2014.
“We also believe that he is one of the main persons recruiting and sending trained militants to Syria. We suspect that he has been arranging travels for IS followers in Malaysia and other South-East Asian countries,” he added.
It was learnt that the Indonesian had direct connections with known Malaysian militants, including former “The Ukays” band drummer Akil Zainal.
Akil, a Universiti Teknologi Mara graduate, was among the first batch of Malaysians who went to Syria and publicly declared support for militant groups.
The two other cell members, the Malaysian and the Bangladeshi, were arrested in Kota Baru and Klang respectively.
At a separate event, the IGP said Bukit Aman would always be on the alert with threats from the IS and other terror groups.
“We will not compromise when it comes to security. Every action will be taken to prevent bad things from happening in this country,” he said.
The IGP said terror groups, including the IS would not be allowed to gain a foothold in Malaysia, he added.
Asked whether any of the suspects had been planning to launch attacks in Malaysia, he said that was their main agenda.
Nabbed Terrorist Married 12 Times
KUALA LUMPUR: The British national nabbed along with four others for involvement in terrorism activities has a reputation of being a Casanova besides his militant tendencies.
The man has so far married 12 women, including five from Malaysia.
His other past and present wives are from the United Kingdom, Bosnia, Germany, Philippines and Indonesia.
“You could call him a Casanova terrorist,” a source told The Star.
“We have not come across a terrorist who has married so many women. He has been busy on the terror front but his love life is interesting as well.”
Apparently, his modus operandi has been to marry the women and divorce them after a few years.
“He is also suspected of duping the women into marriage for their money,” the source said.
It was learnt that a general manager of a bank was among his former Malaysian wives.
The man, who worked as a part-time English teacher in Penang, had been travelling in and out of Malaysia since 1998.
The authorities suspect that the Briton, who had been interacting with students, could be the head of a sleeper cell for the al-Qaeda in the country.
Source: The Star/Asia News Network
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