MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said police feared that the arrested had plans to carry out terrorist attacks in Malaysia.
"Initial investigations revealed that they were also assisting returning ISIL fighters to enter the country," the Malaysian newspaper quoted inspector-general of police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar as saying on Thursday.
According to police, the suspects (eight men and two women) might have also helped in gathering funds to send Malaysians to join ISIL in Syria.
ISIL, a radical Sunni group also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), currently controls vast areas in Iraq and Syria.
The ISIL group is known for its cruel tactics, including public beheadings and the stoning of women. The radicals have been highly successful in spreading their ideology through social media and have attracted thousands of foreigners, particularly young people, to join the jihadist cause.
Malaysian police have arrested scores of people since April on suspicion of ties to the Islamic State.
The United States created an international coalition to fight ISIL in September 2014. Coalition forces have since been carrying out airstrikes against the extremists in Iraq and Syria, but have failed to make any breakthrough advances.
