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Friday, December 19, 2014

Ex-NS trainer detained for terrorism influence

PETALING JAYA - A 30-year-old trainer formerly attached with the National Service Training Department in Kuantan, Pahang, was detained Wednesday morning for suspected links with the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar, said the Counter Terrorism Unit would also investigate if he had influenced trainees under his supervision or other staff in the camps where he served.

Khalid added that there was a possibility that the suspect might have shared his ideology with those around him in his attempt to recruit others to join the militants in Syria.

With a full-scale investigation now underway, the police will check NS camps throughout the country for evidence of militant elements.

Khalid also revealed that the Terengganu-born suspect, who resigned last year, had been influenced into joining IS after interacting with Malaysians previously arrested for their involvement with the militant group, via Facebook.

One of the suspects he was believed to have been in regular contact with was Kedah-born Md Lofti Mod Ariffin, who died in Syria on September 14.

Suspecting he might have been given instructions on how to enter Syria via Turkey, Khalid said it was also likely that the ex-NS trainer was about to marry a teacher in a Southeast Asian country as part of his plan to gain safe passage into Syria.

Police were currently compiling information of the suspected “bride-to-be” in an effort to piece together the puzzle.

Khalid also remarked that various Southeast Asian countries had been used as transit points by IS suspects and thus, Brunei was not the only one.

“Previously, they did not stop at Southeast Asian countries. Instead, they headed straight to the Middle Eastern countries before making their way to Syria. Their travel pattern has now changed to avoid detection,” he said.

Asked if the trend among civil servants to join IS had reached a worrying point, Khalid said that on the contrary, he was more worried at the number of non-civil servants doing it.

New anti-terror laws are expected to be tabled in Parliament next year, including amendments of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) and other preventive laws.

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