Hanoi (VNA) - Malaysian police said on June 1 they have detained 15 people suspected of getting involved in terror-related activities.

The suspects, including six Filipinos, two from an unspecified North African country and a Bangladeshi, were seized by the anti-terrorism police unit in a series of operations between March 27 and May 9, said Malaysian Police Chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun.

Of them, a housewife was accused of planning to drive a vehicle carrying gas cylinders into non-Muslim worship places as well as voters during the election day.

The Bangladeshi man, who owns a restaurant in downtown Kuala Lumpur, is believed to be involved in smuggling weapons for terrorist groups, said Fuzi.

The police also arrested a 17-year-old high school student, who had planned to launch attacks on churches, entertainment outlets and Hindu temples in Kuala Lumpur with Molotov cocktail.

The other suspects were accused of stockpiling weapons to be used in the war in Marawi city in the southern Philippines.

Southeast Asia has seen a wave of terror attacks lately, first in southern Thailand and then Indonesia. A grenade attack at a bar in suburb Kuala Lumpur took place in 2016, the first attack linked to the Islamic State group. The country has arrested hundreds of people for suspected links to terrorist groups in the last several years.-VNA
VNA