Malaysian police are investigating whether Al-Qaeda linked
Somali rebels were seeking to set up a base in the Southeast Asian
country after a suspected insurgent was arrested, a source with
knowledge of the investigation said Friday.
Police said
on Thursday they detained a 34-year-old Somali man in Kuala Lumpur who
was wanted by Interpol for alleged links to Shabaab rebels blamed for a
string of violent attacks in East Africa.
Police have
also been tracking five others, most of whom entered Malaysia on student
visas, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Some
of those five have since left the country, the source said, adding that
an investigation was ongoing and more arrests could be announced.
Police deputy inspector general Bakri Zinin first announced the arrest of the Somali man late Thursday.
"The
police are investigating the detainee's activity in Malaysia to find
out if there are other Al-Shabaab-linked terrorists who may be hiding or
carrying out activities that can be detrimental to Malaysia's
security," he said.
Shabaab rebels claimed
responsibility for the bloody assault last year on the Westgate shopping
mall in Kenya's capital Nairobi, which left at least 67 people dead.
Last
week, Malaysia arrested 11 people suspected to be involved in Islamic
militant activities under the mantle of humanitarian work.
Malaysian media have quoted official sources saying the two cases were not related.
Muslim-majority Malaysia practises moderate Islam and has not seen any notable terror attacks in recent memory.
But
it has been home to several suspected key figures in militant Islamic
groups, such as the Al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah blamed for the
deadly 2002 Bali bombings.
Malaysian police are
investigating possible terrorism in the March 8 disappearance of
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 but have so far given no indication that
they have solid leads.
A UN-mandated African Union force has been battling Shabaab militants in Somalia since 2007.
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