Possible threats to Malaysian king, PM foiled with arrest of eight suspected extremists

PUTRAJAYA - Possible threats against Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim were thwarted after the police arrested eight people for suspected links to extremist ideologies.

At a press conference on June 24, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the suspects were arrested in an operation that took place at the weekend. The suspects, aged 25 to 70 years, were arrested in Johor, Kelantan, Perak and Selangor.

“The arrest of the six men and two women were due to suspicions of being linked to ISIS, and were follow-up arrests from previous operations conducted on May 15, 17 and 30.

“Preliminary investigations also showed the existence of threats against His Majesty, the Prime Minister, VIPs and the top leadership of the police,” he said, adding that follow-up security action will be taken as per standard operating procedure.

Investigations are under way to determine links between the suspects, but Mr Saifuddin said they all “had the same ideology”.

The suspects, he added, came from various employment and economic backgrounds.

“This includes housewives, retirees and professionals,” he said. He added that the government will not compromise with any parties that are part of or that support extremist and radical ideologies.

“The authorities will not hesitate to take the strictest enforcement action available on these people,” he said.

Mr Saifuddin also gave his assurance that the country was safe and secure and that the public should not be fearful about security levels and public order.

“This is supported by the expertise and speed of the police in combating extremist, radical and violent threats at the early stages, which is also a manifestation of the preparedness and competency of the force in facing any threats at all times,” he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK