519 Suspected Terrorists Arrested in Malaysia in Just 7 Months

By Karissa Lund  •  26 Aug 2019 in News

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According to BERNAMA, Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that the police have arrested 519 people suspected of being involved in terrorism up to 31 July in 2019 alone.

He also added that the number consists of Malaysians and foreigners alike but did not go into further details.

“These people were found to have been involved in activities that we consider as terrorism in the context of the criminal laws and the effect (of these activities) is that they carry threats.

“They were detained under the enforcement of existing laws, regardless of whether it is the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2015 (POTA) or Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (SOSMA),” he told a press conference today on the sidelines of the International Seminar on Religious Values in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE).

Muhyiddin said that the police information and records show that some of these people have been convicted and some are still in custody. The government is also in the process of drawing up the National Action Plan (NAP) for PCVE.

“We will refer to several guidelines set by international bodies to ensure uniformity and we want to gain from the past experience.

“The government is in discussion and has not made any decision (on the implementation) because it involves various agencies, not just the KDN (Home Ministry).

“The resolutions of this PCVE seminar may be of help in preparing it (NAP),” he said.

Last Saturday, The Star reported that stern action will be taken against anyone who issues statements that would jeopardise the country’s security and stability. Muhyiddin stated that there were twice as many reports filed with the authorities on issues concerning race, religion and the royalty compared to last year.

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