Security forces on alert for possible attacks

Malaysian security forces are on the alert on the possibility of attacks in the country following the reported death of militant Zulkifli bin Hir or Marwan in the Philippines, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

“We will have to face whatever the militants throw our way.

“Our citizens should also not be fooled or lured into supporting the militants,” he said after launching the Armed Forces Football Team at the Defence Ministry’s football field here yesterday.

He said the armed forces had already strengthened the security in Sabah.

These included the upgrade of the RMAF airbase in Labuan, setting up forward bases in Lahad Datu as well as offshore bases of the coast.

Marwan was killed in an exchange of gunfire with Philippine police last month. The security forces managed to cut a finger from his body to ascertain the DNA of the terrorist.

Marwan was known as a bombmaker for the Jemaah Islamiyah, which had staged the 2002 bombings in Bali that claimed 202 lives, and other deadly attacks in South-East Asia.

On a separate matter, Hishammuddin condemned the brutal execution of Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh, who was captured by the Islamic State (IS) militants.

“The IS threat is not confined to the Middle East alone. Every nation is monitoring the situation.

“Asean countries are also not excluded from the threat of the IS and all of us are monitoring the situation closely,” he added.

The pilot was captured by militants after his plane crashed in Syria in December.