Malaysia police arrest servicemen, civil servants with suspected link to Daesh

Malaysian police said Thursday that they have arrested 10 individuals including security personnel and civil servants for suspected link to the Islamic State (IS).

The 10 suspects aged between 24 and 42 years old, comprising eight men and two women, were nabbed in operations by police counter-terrorism forces in the capital of Kuala Lumpur and four other states.

They comprised six security personnel, two civil servants, a former interior decorator and a kindergarten teacher, police said in a statement.

The suspects were believed to be involved in activities promoting the IS ideology and collecting funds to support the group.

Police also said they involved in recruiting Malaysians to join the IS in Syria, made arrangements to purchase firearms with the objective of organizing attacks in Malaysia, assisted in the return of IS suspects from Syria, and hid information on IS activities in the country.

Malaysian authorities believed several dozens of Malaysian citizens have joined IS in the Middle East. The government has strengthened measures against potential terrorist threat to the country.