By P Prem Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysia has arrested three more people suspected of wanting to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant, or ISIL, in Syria, bringing the total number of those held in the southeast Asian country to 22 in the last 6 months.
An architect, a technician and a shopkeeper were detained on their way to Turkey at Kuala Lumpur International Airport by members of the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division on Thursday morning.
Police Senior Assistant Commissioner Ayob Khan told The Anadolu Agency on Friday that the three men "were planning to board a flight to Istanbul, which transited in Doha. From there, they wanted to book a passage way into Syria, of where they have made prior arrangements to meet ISIS [ISIL] officials."
Khan said that the trio were on the police’s list of suspected militants and their houses had been raided, "without their knowledge."
“We found an ISIS flag in the one of the houses, topping a lot other evidence that we had gathered," he said. "We believe these men were recruited by Malaysian militants via social media sites, such as Facebook. They were also in constant communication with fellow Malaysians fighting in Syria."
He added that police were 80 percent of the way towards identifying the person who recruited them.
Reports in local papers have quoted police Inspector-General Khalid Abu Bakar as saying that Malaysia is currently hunting for five militants believed to be linked to ISIL and the Abu Sayyaf, a "terror" group based in the Philippines.
The five individuals are said to have undergone intensive training and are leading a small movement in Malaysia, which encourages locals to join the fighting in Syria.
Reports say that the number of Malaysian militants held by the Counter Terrorism Division has risen to 22 since April 28.
The three men arrested Thursday were aged between 26 and 42 years old.
The shopkeeper is believed to be married with six children.
www.aa.com.tr/en
