Malaysia detains 7 suspected IS members

Malaysian police have detained seven men suspected of being an Islamic State militant cell that was plotting attacks, authorities say Sunday.

The seven Malaysians were detained over the past three days in a follow-up operation after the January 15 detention of a man who was planning a suicide attack in Kuala Lumpur, national police chief Khalid Abu Bakar says.

Among the items seized were 30 types of bullets, jihad books and Islamic State flags and videos, he says.

“All the suspects are members of the same (terror) cell, which is responsible for planning to launch terror attacks in strategic locations across Malaysia,” Khalid says in a statement.

The suspect thought to be the cell leader is a 31-year-old assistant housekeeping manager at a hotel in southern Johor state, Khalid says. He says one of the suspects, whom he didn’t identify, received orders from Bahrom Naim, an Indonesian based in Syria who had a role in planning the Jakarta attacks.

— AP