Arrest Of Teens Linked To Terrorist Group Followed SOPs – Saifuddin Nasution

KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 (Bernama) -- The Royal Malaysia Police’s (PDRM) action in arresting individuals, including underage teenagers believed to be attempting to revive a terrorist group ideology in the country, was carried out in accordance with standard operating procedures (SOP), said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

Saifuddin Nasution said investigations found that the teenagers had been accessing websites related to violence.

He explained that the group was found to have a multi-layered organisational structure, with teenagers often exploited and trained by leaders in their 30s and 40s through the dissemination of doctrines online.

“They may be 17 or 18 years old, but those above them who are training them are in their 30s and 40s. And it is not confined to Malaysia, as it also exists in other countries in the region. So it is far more complex than that,” he told reporters after the 219th Police Day Commemoration, officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here today.

On March 6, the media reported that PDRM had foiled attempts to revive the group’s ideology through the arrest of six suspects aged between 16 and 21, including three underage teenagers.

All of them were detained in a special operation by the Special Branch over two days beginning Feb 14 in the Klang Valley, Johor, Kedah and Terengganu.

Meanwhile, in addressing potential long-term implications of the West Asian conflict, Saifuddin Nasution said the Cabinet has tasked the Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry with developing scenario planning to ensure national security remains intact.

“In the Cabinet meeting, the Prime Minister mentioned that at least two regulatory agencies — the Defence Ministry and the Home Ministry — are responsible for conducting observations involving the collection of accurate, valid and credible information,” he said.

-- BERNAMA