Bangladeshi national held in Malaysia for terror link deported

Four suspected terrorists, including three foreigners from Bangladesh, Nepal and Morocco, have been detained in Selangor and Pahang, Malaysian daily New Straits Times reported on Thursday.

In a press statement, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said all four were picked up between Aug 2 and Sept 17.

Khalid said police arrested the first suspect, a 37 year-old Bangladeshi, in the city. He was detained on Aug 19 and deported to his country on Sept 2.

‘The suspect ran a restaurant in Bukit Bintang and was believed to have smuggled firearms for the use of international terrorist members. He is also listed in Interpol Red Notice.

‘The second suspect, from Nepal, was detained on the same date as the first. He was a businessman who ran an entertainment centre and accommodation premises.

He is believed to have been involved in travel document forgery. ‘He was deported to his country on Sept 2,’ he said. Khalid said the third suspect is a 26 year-old man from Morocco.

‘He was an Islamic State (IS) member who had been detained by Turkish authorities during his attempt to enter Syria in Feb this year.

‘After being released, the suspect entered Malaysia on May 2. He was detained on Aug 2 and deported back to his country yesterday,’ he added.

Khalid said the fourth suspect is a local who worked as a personal driver to a businessman.

‘The Malaysian had established a relationship with Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedy. He was also active in promoting IS on his Facebook account,’ he added.

Khalid said the Nepalese and Bangladeshi suspects are being investigated under Section 6 of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the other two are being probed under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma) 2012.