IPOH • Malaysian police have dug up explosives from under a mangosteen tree in a village in Taiping, Perak, and arrested a 38-year old woman in connection with them.

Police yesterday said they believed the explosives belonged to the woman's husband, a 41-year- old man who is in jail on a drug-related offence.

The cache included 15 sticks of Emulex, six electrical detonators, a container filled with a black liquid, a box of fertiliser, half a sack of low chloride fertiliser and three barrels of white unknown substances. Emulex is a water-based emulsion explosive usually used in mining, quarrying, road and railway construction, and tunnelling.

Acting Perak police chief Hasnan Hassan said the explosives were found behind a house on Dec 18. "We are still investigating the purpose of the explosives, and we are not discounting its usage was for terrorism or to protect a drug syndicate and other crimes," he said in a statement.

The woman was arrested under Section 8 of the Explosives Act, and released after seven days, he said.

Earlier this week, Malaysian police detained six men for alleged involvement in bomb-making in several raids in Kelantan. They found various items, including wires and batteries believed to be components for making bombs.

The police said they did not rule out the possibility that the suspects could have links to the militant Islamic State in Iraq and Syria group.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK