12 January 2016•Update: 12 January 2016
By P Prem Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR
Malaysia's police force has said that in the last year alone it has arrested 82 people with links to Daesh, of which 73 were Malaysians.
The figure was higher than the 59 arrests made in 2014, which included 47 locals.
"The increase in arrests shows that IS [Daesh] elements are gaining the local community's sympathy and the police will continue to double their efforts to prevent these elements from getting a foothold and flourishing in Malaysia," Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar told reporters Tuesday in capital Kuala Lumpur.
Bakar called the volume of arrests worrying and said it illustrated that Daesh's influence among Malaysians could not be taken lightly.
"I hope Malaysians will realize that this is a real threat and they have to be careful. IS threats do exist and require everyone's attention from time to time," he said, after attending the police force's monthly assembly.
Bakar added that on Monday police had detained a 16-year-old male religious school student believed to be involved in Daesh operations in Malaysia.
"He was found to be influenced by IS propaganda over social media. He however did not harm anyone."
