Malaysian Interior Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that police have arrested eight individuals suspected of being connected to the terrorist organization "ISIS" who were planning attacks on the king and the prime minister. The suspects were arrested over the weekend in various locations across Malaysia, according to the minister. He indicated that a preliminary police investigation "concluded that there are threats against the king, the prime minister, and prominent figures and senior leaders in the Malaysian police force."
The members of the cell, consisting of six men and two women, come from diverse backgrounds including both unemployed individuals and educated professionals, as stated by the minister. Last March, an attacker armed with a machete, suspected of being linked to the terrorist organization "Al-Qaeda," stormed a police station in Johor state and killed two officers. The attacker, whom the police said was associated with an extremist group, killed one police officer with a machete before seizing a gun and shooting another.
The Inspector General of Police reported in March that Malaysia will strengthen security measures.
