KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 – Malaysia is ramping up security ahead of the ASEAN Summit taking place next weekend following terrorist attacks in France which killed 129 and injured hundreds, The Star Online reported. All police branches and divisions are doubling their efforts as they prepare to host United States President Barack Obama, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and a host of other world leaders at the weekend summit to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
The report quoted Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar as saying police would not let their guard down when it came to security for the high-profile meeting. He also said police were working with neighbouring countries to foil the alleged plans of lecturer-turned-terrorist Dr Mahmud Ahmad, who was reportedly forming an Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) terror bloc in South-east Asia.
We are working with our counterparts in neighbouring countries to prevent his plan from becoming a reality, he was quoted as saying. In a report in July, after police here arrested two Malaysians linked to ISIS, Mr Khalid had warned that intelligence had revealed that the suspects were planning attacks in Malaysia. We believe both suspects held meetings since late last year. It is definitely a worrying trend that IS members are directly taking orders from IS leaders in Syria to launch attacks in their home countries,” Mr Khalid said.
A total of 136 people have been arrested in Malaysia for involvement in militant activities since 2013, when the ISIS threat became increasingly prominent. In September, the police arrested three individuals near Bukit Bintang over suspected terror threats in the area. The government had previously tabled a white paper on the threat of ISIS and also introduced the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) to deal with such matters.
