Headline Recent detention of 11 proves IS threat becoming serious MediaTitle New Sabah Times English (KK) Date 08 May 2015 Language English Circulation 22,425 Readership 134,550 Section Home Color Black/white Page No 8 ArticleSize 202 cm² AdValue RM 392 PR Value RM 1,175 Recent detention of 17 proves IS threat becoming serious ALOR SETAR: The recent de­ is in the area of terrorism, pendently of each other, al­ tention of 17 men, believed to political violcncc and Islamic though they had received the be planning attacks on several militancy. same instructions. locations in the country, was a While the JI and KMM tar­ He urged the public to view clear indicator that the threat of geted America and the Western ■the threat of the IS militant the Iraq and Syria Islamic State countries, IS was more focused group seriously and said all (ISIS) in Malaysia had become on countries which do not parties should set aside their more serious and dangerous. practise Syariah laws. political differences and focus Dean of the Ghazali Shafic On April 5, the Inspec­ on this threat. Graduate School of Govern­ tor­General of Police Tan Sri He said the inability of some ment, Universiti Utara Khalid Abu Bakar announced people to view this threat se­ Malaysia (UUM) Prof Dr Mo­ the police had detained 17 riously could arise from the hd Kamarulnizam Abdullah members of the IS militant lack of detailed information of said the detention showed that group in Kuala Lumpur and the authorities' operations to­ Malaysia's status in the eyes of Kedah who were planning at­ wards these people. the IS had changed. tacks on several locations in However, he said, the parties "The detention of the 17 the Klang Valley. involved should understand people is proof that Malaysia The militants who were de­ that intelligence information is no longer a transit country tained by members of the was very sensitive and any for the IS militants, but is now Counter­Terrorism Division of leaks could jlbpardise the op­ a target of their members. the Police Special Brafich, had erations to counter terrorist ac­ "The threat of the IS militant also planned to kidnap several tivities. group in this country is real and dignitaries. "Anti­ferrorist activities are not a political game as claimed Home Minister Datuk Sen based on pre­emptiveness, by certain parties," he told Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said aimed at combating it before it Bernama yesterday. the militant group also planned happens. We should not only Dr Mohd Kamarulnizam to make bomb's to use in the believje that there is an IS threat said what is certain is that the attacks, • after there has been a terrorist threat from the IS militants to Since 2013, police had de­ attack," he said. Malaysia is bigger than the tained 93 suspects wSio >vere ,,^}r Mohd Kamarulnizam al­ security threats from the Jc­ believed to have joined the IS so^irged the authorities to maah Isiamiyah (Jl) and militant group, while 63 were monitor the rat trails along the Kumpulan Militan Malaysia detected to be in Syria to fight Malaysia­Thailand border (KMM). alongside the militants there. which could potentially be­ "IS is more dangerous than Dr M0hd ' Kamarulni/am come .the entry and exit points JI and KMM," said the aca­ said the IS militant cells in this ofc the IS militants into this demician whose specialisation country were operating inde­ country. ­ Bernama.