Malaysia hunting for 63 suspected ISIS recruits

Civil servants and women among those identified, say police
The Straits Times, 2 May 2015

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian police have identified a further 63 people believed to be recruits of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, following the arrest of 12 suspected members, the New Straits Times reported yesterday.

Police are now hunting for the 63 suspects, the paper quoted Special Branch counter-terrorism division director Ayub Khan Mydin Pitchay as saying.

He said the police had estimated that more than 80 Malaysians had joined ISIS in Syria.

He told reporters that seven civil servants were among the 63 identified. And of the 63, nine were women.

Police last week arrested 12 suspected militants who were believed to be making and testing home-made bombs with the intent to attack sites that included the administrative capital Putrajaya and the federal Parliament in Kuala Lumpur.

The government has said it will use all available measures, including intercepting phone messages, as it tries to hunt down the remaining members of the suspected terror cell.

In an emerging trend, ISIS is targeting military personnel for recruitment in Malaysia, as the men are trained fighters who will be an asset to its cause, a senior Malaysian counter-terrorism source warned.

"Military personnel have access to weapons, military locations and plans. They are also trained to fight. This is a dangerous trend not just in Malaysia but also all over the world," the source told The Straits Times.

To date, the Malaysian authorities have not found police personnel who have been co-opted by ISIS, the source said.

"Of course, I can never say never because the possibility is always there that, one day, police personnel may be recruited," the source added.

The warning comes as the Malaysian navy admitted earlier this week that several of its men had been found to be involved with ISIS.

Last month, two air force personnel were among 17 people arrested for suspected links to the militant group.

To date, a total of 107 people - among them civil servants, businessmen and students - have been arrested for alleged ISIS links.

ISIS also appears to appeal to professionals and administrators, whom it needs to achieve its goal of setting up an Islamic state.

Calling this worrying, Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, head of policy studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told The Straits Times: "My concern is twofold: First, ISIS seems to be succeeding in attracting relatively qualified people and, second, such educated people are buying into ISIS' religiously legitimated vision enough to join."

ISIS 'eyeing military men in Malaysia'
Expert warns against emerging trend of recruiting men with access to arms
By Amy Chew, Regional Correspondent, The Straits Times, 30 Apr 2015

IN AN emerging trend, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is targeting military personnel for recruitment in Malaysia, as the men are trained fighters who will be an asset to the cause, a senior Malaysian counter-terrorism source warned.

"Military personnel have access to weapons, military locations and plans. They are also trained to fight. This is a dangerous trend not just in Malaysia but also all over the world," the source told The Straits Times.

To date, the Malaysian authorities have not found police personnel who have been co-opted by ISIS, the source said.

"Of course, I can never say never, because the possibility is always there that, one day, police personnel may be recruited," the source added.

The warning comes as the Malaysian navy admitted earlier this week that several of its men were found to be involved with ISIS.

Last year, a Malaysian navy officer was among three men arrested for being part of a militant group planning to undertake suicide bombings in Syria and Iraq.

Earlier this month, two air force personnel were among 17 people arrested for suspected links to ISIS.

Analysts say that it is a "serious security crisis" when military personnel join militant groups.

"When people who are supposed to be guardians of the nation decide to join terrorist organisations such as IS (Islamic State or ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra (Al-Qaeda in Syria), then it is not just a matter of concern, but a serious security crisis," said Dr Bilveer Singh, who has studied terrorism in South-east Asia for 30 years.

Noting that former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat was assassinated by army officers, and former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards, Dr Singh said the present situation portends a threat of this nature for Malaysia.

The Malaysian army is monitoring the situation via its investigation and intelligence division, Deputy Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri told Parliament early this month. To date, a total of 107 people - among them civil servants, businessmen and students - have been arrested for alleged ISIS links.

Dr Singh sees the arrests as a sign of growing support for ISIS in Malaysia. He also cautioned against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's attacks against Prime Minister Najib Razak, as these may send the wrong signal.

"The recent arrests are merely part of the IS momentum in Malaysia. If the counter-terrorism officials are not careful, a terrible tragedy can befall... especially at a time when the Malaysian government is riddled with differences brought about by the ill-advised Mahathir challenge against Najib. (This) weakens the government and sends the wrong signal to the terrorists that the Najib government is fair game for attack," said Dr Singh.

Malaysian volunteers to act as informers
Rela volunteers tasked with monitoring terror suspects' movements and informing police
The Sunday Times, 3 May 2015

Permatang Pauh (Penang) - Malaysia's volunteer corps, also known as Rela, will be placed at all "rat trails" to flush out terrorists in Malaysia, said Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, according to local media.

Rela volunteers would act as informers to the police and other enforcement agencies, the New Straits Times reported yesterday.

Malaysia, a popular transit point for foreign militants heading to the Middle East to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has been on high alert against terrorist threats, and succeeded in foiling a few plots to attack targets inside the country.

Datuk Seri Zahid said Rela would be tasked with monitoring illegal routes and feeding police with the whereabouts of individuals or groups involved in terrorism, the Bernama news agency reported.

While Malaysia's entry and exit points on land, sea and air are controlled by enforcement agencies, there is a need to monitor illegal routes, he added.

"Rela members, numbering 2.98 million, are instructed to monitor these areas so that nobody can escape entering or exiting to a second or third country supposedly for a cause," the report quoted Dr Zahid as telling reporters at a gathering with Rela volunteers yesterday.

The move, he said, is to ensure that Malaysian terrorists who are now outside Malaysia would be prosecuted and charged upon their return to the country.

The government does not want Malaysians who allegedly went to fight the "jihad" in Syria to return, he added.

"Surveillance is being carried out. Any individuals, groups or organisations that organise any courses or training, or try to make home-made weapons or bombs will not escape from the hands of the law taken by the enforcement agencies, particularly the police," said Dr Zahid.

He noted that Rela "has its responsibility" under the powers of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Pota), which allows for indefinite detention without trial. The Pota is currently awaiting royal assent to be gazetted.

Since April 2013, 107 people have been nabbed for alleged ISIS links.

Last month, police captured 12 suspected militants who were believed to be making and testing home-made bombs with the intent to attack sites that included the administrative capital Putrajaya and the federal Parliament in Kuala Lumpur.

Police are now hunting for 63 suspects, including seven civil servants, who are thought to be recruits of ISIS.

Special Branch counter-terrorism division director Ayub Khan Mydin Pitchay said police have estimated that more than 80 Malaysians have joined ISIS in Syria.

KL pulling out all stops in hunt for bomb plotters
Phone taps on the cards; ISIS trying to 'influence' military personnel
By Shannon Teoh, Malaysia Correspondent, In Kuala Lumpur, The Straits Times, 29 Apr 2015

MALAYSIA will use all measures at its disposal, including intercepting phone messages, as it tries to nail down the remaining members of a terror cell that plotted to bomb strategic targets in the Klang Valley.

The capital city has been put on heightened security alert since 12 men linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) were nabbed with large amounts of explosive materials at the weekend.

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed in Parliament yesterday that the administrative capital of Putrajaya as well as the federal Parliament were targeted by the men, aged 17 to 41.

A senior counter-terrorism source told The Straits Times yesterday that the suspects were all "clean skins", meaning they had no previous criminal records, thus making detection difficult.

Datuk Seri Zahid told reporters later that even some prison wardens and military personnel had been influenced by militant Islamism.

"Under our enforcement of preventive laws, surveillance is done on all information through all online channels. We are not persecuting such a person. We are looking at the contents of his Telegram, WhatsApp, MMS, SMS and other data," he said in the Senate.

Although he did not explicitly mention phone taps, Malaysia has laws allowing for it. An amendment to the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act passed last week allows information gleaned from such surveillance to be used as evidence in court.

The minister also said the controversial use of electronic monitoring devices to track terror suspects would begin in July.

Since April 2013, 107 people have been nabbed over terror links, and they will be required to wear the devices if they are placed under restricted residence and no longer under indefinite detention. The newly approved Prevention of Terrorism Act allows for indefinite detention without trial.

The move comes as the Malaysian Navy admitted that several of its personnel were found to be involved with ISIS.

Analysts say ISIS is keen to recruit military and civil service personnel because they have easy access to firearms and ammunition, classified information as well as entry to high-security areas like Parliament.

ISIS also appears to appeal to professionals and administrators, whom it needs to help achieve its goal of setting up an Islamic state.

Calling this worrying, Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, head of policy studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said: "My concern is twofold: First, ISIS seems to be succeeding in attracting relatively qualified people, and second, such educated people are buying into ISIS' religiously legitimated vision enough to join."

The 12 men were caught with items, including about 20kg each of ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate, which are used to make bombs, an ISIS flag, two remote controls, three PVC pipes and equipment believed to be used to produce explosives.

Besides confirming that navy officers were among the 107 arrested in the past two years, Mr Zahid also revealed that seven prison guards had become sympathisers of militant groups after they were influenced by terror suspects who had been held for years under the Internal Security Act before it was repealed in 2012.

"We have rehabilitated them (prison wardens) and they are now still on duty. The person (Islamic militant) involved, we have isolated him and moved him to a different prison," he said.

Additional reporting by Amy Chew

12 militant suspects flew under the radar
ISIS-linked group arrested in Malaysia had no criminal records
By Amy Chew, Regional Correspondent In Kuala Lumpur, The Straits Times, 29 Apr 2015

LIKE shadows moving around undetected among the population, the 12 militant suspects arrested over the weekend were "clean skins", potential attackers with a clean record who flew under the radar of security officials.

"The 12 men who were arrested are from a new cell. There is no (criminal) record on any of them and they flew under our radar," a senior counter-terrorism source told The Straits Times.

"And if there is no (intelligence) on such militants, how are we going to disrupt them? We need to broaden our intelligence collection," said the source.

Malaysia's Special Branch counter- terrorism division arrested the 12 men linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) last Saturday and Sunday. One of the men was arrested in Cheras district. The remaining 11 were on their way up Gunung Nuang - the highest peak in Selangor state - to assemble a bomb when they were arrested.

The 2005 London bombing was carried out by four "clean skin" British militants, who detonated four bombs aboard the city's underground trains across the country, killing 52 people.

According to counter-terrorism analysts, clean skins pose a significant security threat as they are typically unknown to the authorities until something happens.

"A lot of them have no past records. No one is aware of their existence and the threats they pose until something happens," said Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, head of policy studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

The men had plans to attack government buildings in the administrative capital of Putrajaya and in Kuala Lumpur, as well as police stations across the country.

Malaysia became a target for attacks by the militants when a senior member of the cell failed to make it to Syria.

The militant was then told by a Malaysian in Syria to launch attacks in Malaysia instead.

"The senior member of the cell was stopped at the northern Malaysian border and could not go to Syria. His Malaysian contact in Syria then told him to carry out attacks in Malaysia," said the counter-terrorism source.

"They had wanted to make a big show of the attacks," the source added.

Police seized more than 20kg each of ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate, as well as other bomb-making paraphernalia such as PVC pipes and nails.

"All the materials, bought in the open market, could make five to six bombs," the source said.

When the police swooped in on the men, they were hiking up the hill with the explosive materials, which they intended to use to assemble bombs at the peak.

"The men were carrying 2kg to 3kg of materials each during the four-hour hike," said the source.

Prof Ramakrisna said there was a need for the broader community to play a role in helping to detect clean skins in society.

"It is important for families, friends and teachers to play a role in keeping an eye out for young people who suddenly develop extremist religious beliefs and views on Syria and Iraq. The same goes for their views on what's happening in Malaysia and Indonesia."

Young Indonesians and Malaysians who fall under the influence of ISIS consider their respective governments to be infidel states as they are not ruled by a Constitution based on syariah, or Islamic law.