A soldier and a police officer patrol outside a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur in January. (Source: themalaysiaonline.com) Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian authorities on July 23 said they prevented a conspiracy to stage a bomb attack on senior police officers and arrested 14 people suspected to be members of the so-called Islamic State (IS).
In a report, Malaysia's Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the detained suspects included a senior IS member who was thought to be responsible for recruiting Malaysian gunman Abu Ghani Yaacob, who was killed in Syria in April.
According to Bakar, the police seized a self-made bomb weighing one kilogram, which was suspected of being used for an attack targeting senior leaders of the Royal Malaysia Police.
Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi earlier said the police once foiled the IS’s conspiracy to kidnap Prime Minister Najib Razak and Malaysian ministers last year.
Malaysian security agencies have been on high alert to the IS’ expansion in the country, which has a large number of Islamic people.
Authorities estimated that nearly 50 Malaysians have joined the IS in Syria and Iraq.-VNA
