Kota Kinabalu: Five terror suspects including a woman have been arrested in the Malaysian Borneo state of Sabah as of September this year, the Eastern Sabah Security Commander (Esscom) chief said.
Datuk Victor Sanjos told Malay daily
Sinar Harian that three of the suspects were allegedly linked to terror financing while the other two were suspected supporters of the Royal Security Force (RSF) of the so-called Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo.
The RSF is a militant group which intruded into areas in Lahad Datu and Semporna in 2013 in their quest to stake their historic territorial claim to part of eastern Sabah, which turned into a bloody 43-day standoff with Malaysian security and defence authorities.
Sanjos also said Esscom has 13 personalities on their wanted list and listed four groups on its radar, namely the Abu Sayyaf Group, maritime kidnap-for-ransom groups, Islamic State or Daulah Islamiyah groups and the RSF, all of which are threats from the southern Philippines.
Sabah’s authorities view potential threats from these groups seriously, however, up to this point in their assessment, there has been no evidence of any activities by these groups to recruit residents or support their propaganda efforts, said the security official.
“This is because previous arrests of insiders served as a lesson to the public. In terms of potential threats, it is currently at a moderate level,” Sanjos was quoted as saying.
“This assessment is based on the enforcement actions taken by the Philippine government, which has shown a serious and committed approach to tracking and subsequently neutralising threats posed by these groups."
However, he said Esscom remains vigilant in security monitoring and intelligence gathering in eastern Sabah, which borders the southern Philippines.
