Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the militant Islamic State (IS) group is a “very real” threat to the country, hours after a video claiming to be from the regional wing of IS warned of attacks in the Muslim-majority nation for arresting its supporters.
Police said the video, believed to feature operatives from the militant group Katibah Nusantara speaking under the IS logo, was significant because, if confirmed, it was the first from IS in Malay.
“This threat is very real and my government takes it very seriously,” Najib told a conference on extremism. “This is a challenge that faces us all around the world. We are far from immune to this danger in Malaysia.”
Police said on Sunday they had arrested seven members of an IS cell who were planning attacks across the country.
The suspected militants were carrying bullets, jihadi literature, IS flags and propaganda videos.
Ten days ago, Malaysia arrested a suspected militant believed to have been planning a suicide attack in Kuala Lumpur.
The video that surfaced online warned Malaysia against the crackdown on IS supporters.
Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, director of the police counter-terrorism unit, said the video suggested militants in the country were becoming more organised.
The contents of the video have not been independently verified.
Security experts in the region believe the IS footprint is still light in Southeast Asia because militants are jostling to be its regional leader.
