Don’t Use Malaysia For Terror Recruitment, Fundraising – Saifuddin Nasution

PUTRAJAYA, July 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will never allow any party to use the country as a platform for recruiting members or collecting funds for terrorist activities, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said the authorities will not tolerate such activities, even if they are carried out by foreigners to overthrow the government of their country of origin.

He was commenting on the recent success of the Royal Malaysia Police in dismantling the Radical Militants of Bangladesh movement, believed to be involved in fundraising and recruitment to support the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Syria and Bangladesh.

"This success shows that our intelligence capabilities are at a very high level.

“That is why we can address such threats, and we will never compromise when it comes to terrorism-related matters,” he told a press conference after the ministry’s monthly assembly here today.

On July 4, Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail revealed that preliminary investigations found the group had been raising funds through annual membership fees of RM500 per person, as well as receiving additional contributions based on members' financial capacity.

The group is estimated to have between 100 and 150 members, comprising Bangladeshi nationals working in labour-intensive sectors such as factories, construction and petrol stations in Malaysia.

New member recruitment was believed to have been carried out via social media platforms and messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.

Mohd Khalid said investigations are ongoing to determine the total amount of funds channelled to the IS group in Syria and Bangladesh.

-- BERNAMA