KUALA LUMPUR • A soldier has been jailed for seven months by a High Court here for possessing a mobile phone containing an image related to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group.

High Court judge Siti Mariah Ahmad meted out the sentence against Mohd Azidi Said, 28, after he admitted to the charge yesterday, reported The Star.

Justice Siti Mariah directed that the jail sentence would run from Aug 19, the day Mohd Azidi, who is a corporal attached to the Army College at Segenting Camp in Port Dickson, was detained.

He was charged under Section 130JB of the Penal Code and was first produced at the Port Dickson magistrate's court on Sept 15.

Deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin said that there were several other army personnel who were charged with committing offences related to ISIS and urged the court to impose a deterrent sentence against the soldier.

In passing the sentence, Justice Siti Mariah said the court viewed it as a serious offence and had also considered several other factors, including Mohd Azidi being a first-time offender and his guilty plea, the newspaper reported.

The Royal Malaysian Police have detained 132 individuals suspected of associating with elements of terrorism, including ISIS militants, with cooperation from international intelligence agencies, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said on Monday, reported Bernama news agency.

"From this number, 123 were arrested for involvement with ISIS and all have had action taken against them: 22 under the POCA (Prevention of Crime Act); 38 were released; 48 are being prosecuted; 14 were asked to leave the country; and one more is still being investigated," he said in response to a question from Barisan Nasional MP Shamsul Anuar Nasarah from Lenggong.

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid said to prevent ISIS from gaining a foothold in the country, the government was sharing information with foreign intelligence agencies, particularly Asean member states.

"From the information obtained, police carried out intensive monitoring and tracked down those believed to be associating with the terrorist group," he said. With respect to Mr Shamsul Anuar's conjecture that Malaysia was being used by international terrorists as a transit point, Dr Ahmad Zahid said that use of the country to access a third country could not be confirmed.

He said a list of suspected terrorists had been submitted to the Immigration Department for blacklisting.

He also said the government was in the process of implementing an Advanced Passenger Screening System to prevent such activities.