Malaysia has been on high alert since gunmen allied with Islamic State carried out a series of attacks in Jakarta, the capital of neighbouring Indonesia, in January 2016. Police said the six were arrested in five separate raids between December and January, on suspicion of planning attacks or having links to militant groups. The group included a 48-year-old Singaporean accused of planning to attack a building used by Freemasons in the state of Johor. He is believed to have links with Akel Zainal, a Malaysian identified as an IS fighter in Syria, police said. Malaysia has arrested hundreds of people over the past few years for suspected links to militant groups.

Source: Dhaka Tribune February 15, 2019 05:26 UTC