KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A 16-year-old boy, brainwashed into believing the Islamic State (ISIS) ideology, held a woman at knifepoint at a supermarket in Sungei Petani.

Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the teenager, who was clad in ISIS attire, was arrested minutes later at 8.30pm on Monday (Jan 11).

"He is being detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma).

"Investigations revealed that he was influenced by the ISIS movement through social media and wanted to prove that he was capable of such acts by threatening the woman," he told a press conference at Bukit Aman on Tuesday.

Tan Sri Khalid added that the boy was brainwashed by ISIS through emails and social media.

"We need to identify these people. Investigations revealed that he had no intention of hurting the woman but wanted to show that he is a member and that he is able to do what is requested by the people (ISIS).

"People should know that the threats are imminent," Khalid said, adding that the boy attended a religious school in Kedah.

It was recently reported that an ISIS member in Syria beheaded his mother who had pleaded with him to leave the terror group.