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3 arrested after Malaysian police foil IS-linked attack on Independence Day

Xinhua, August 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Malaysian police said they have arrested three suspects linked to Islamic State (IS), who had been plotting to launch an attack on the eve of Malaysia's Independence Day which falls on Wednesday.

The arrests were made in a series of operations between Saturday and Monday, said Malaysia's police chief Khalid Abu Bakar, adding that the three suspects had been receiving orders from Mohamad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi, the man believed to be the mastermind of Malaysia's first IS-linked attack, a grenade attack at a bar in suburban Kuala Lumpur.

Khalid said the suspects' planned target include entertainment sites, a Hindu temple on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur and police stations.

The three suspects are aged between 20 and 27. When nabbing the first suspect, who is a lorry driver, the police also found a grenade, a pistol and 24 bullets. The police believed they acquired the weapons through a middleman.

Khalid said the three suspects also planned to go to Syria to join the IS militant group after carrying out the attack successfully.

Malaysian police has been on high alert since the June attack. During a security briefing earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the country has detained 230 suspects since 2013.

According to the briefing, 90 Malaysians have been identified to be involved in IS activities in Syria in which 21 have been killed, including seven as suicide bombers. Endit