Malaysia Arrests Two Men Linked to ISIS

A police officer in Kuala Lumpur in the Malaysian capital. AFP file photo
A police officer in Kuala Lumpur in the Malaysian capital. AFP file photo
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Malaysia Arrests Two Men Linked to ISIS

A police officer in Kuala Lumpur in the Malaysian capital. AFP file photo
A police officer in Kuala Lumpur in the Malaysian capital. AFP file photo

Malaysia has arrested two men in two separate raids in December and January on suspicion of planning to carry out acts of violence and promoting ISIS ideology.

One of them, an Indonesian who was arrested last week, had allegedly scoured a busy district of the capital, Kuala Lumpur, in November, seeking Buddhist monks to kill, in retaliation for violence suffered by Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

"The attempt failed, and police managed to confiscate a knife during the raid," Mohamad Fuzi Harun, the inspector-general of police, said in a statement.

He added that the suspect had also allegedly communicated with a senior ISIS leader over WhatsApp, had sought to recruit several other Indonesians and put up an ISIS flag at the building site where he worked.

The other suspect was detained in December on suspicion of planning an attack on entertainment outlets.

The suspect, who had been previously jailed under Malaysia's anti-terror law, had also maintained contact with former members of known terror groups and promoted ISIS ideology on his Facebook account to recruit new members, police said.

Malaysia has arrested hundreds of people over the past few years for suspected links to militant groups and over fears that ISIS is encouraging would-be militants to launch attacks in a country that has never before suffered a major assault.



Russia Says Plan to Boost Role in Africa Includes 'Sensitive' Security Ties

The Russian flag waving in front of the Kremlin in Moscow, July 1, 2018. (AFP / Yuri Kadobnov)
The Russian flag waving in front of the Kremlin in Moscow, July 1, 2018. (AFP / Yuri Kadobnov)
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Russia Says Plan to Boost Role in Africa Includes 'Sensitive' Security Ties

The Russian flag waving in front of the Kremlin in Moscow, July 1, 2018. (AFP / Yuri Kadobnov)
The Russian flag waving in front of the Kremlin in Moscow, July 1, 2018. (AFP / Yuri Kadobnov)

Russia plans to step up cooperation with African countries, including in "sensitive areas" such as defense and security, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Russian mercenary group Wagner said last week it was leaving Mali after helping the military junta there in its fight with militants. But the Africa Corps, a Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force, said it would remain in the west African country, Reuters said.

Asked what this meant for Russia's role in Africa, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "The Russian presence in Africa is growing. We really intend to comprehensively develop our interaction with African countries, focusing primarily on economic and investment interaction.

"This also corresponds to and extends to such sensitive areas as defense and security. In this regard, Russia will also continue interaction and cooperation with African states."

Russia's growing security role in parts of the continent, including in countries such as Mali, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea, is viewed with concern by the West, and has come at the expense of France and the United States.

Russia's Africa Corps was created with the Russian Defense Ministry's support after Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and commander Dmitry Utkin led a failed mutiny against the Russian army leadership in June 2023 and were killed two months later in a plane crash.

About 70-80% of the Africa Corps is made up of former Wagner members, according to several Telegram chats used by Russian mercenaries seen by Reuters.