Malaysia arrests 16 Indonesians accused of Islamic cult teachings
Malaysia arrests 16 Indonesians accused of Islamic cult teachings
Associated Press, Kuala Lumpur
Malaysian religious officials have arrested 16 Indonesians
suspected of spreading deviant Islamic teachings that emphasize a
local form of martial arts, authorities said on Wednesday.
But there was no immediate evidence linking the detainees to
any violent activities or other Indonesians recently arrested in
Malaysia on suspicion of plotting terror attacks.
Officials raided two homes in the northern state of Perak late
Tuesday and detained the 16 men after a tip-off that the
Indonesians were holding suspicious meetings, said state
immigration chief Ishak Mohamed.
Ishak, who led the raids, told The Associated Press that
officials seized copies of the Koran, the Islamic holy book, and
manuscripts about silat, a traditional martial arts practiced by
ethnic Malays.
The suspected cultists were believed to be raising funds to
set up a local headquarters, but there was no indication that
they were involved in any terrorist activity or planning, Ishak
said.
Ishak said the men were handed over to the state religious
affairs department for further investigations. He said it was
"possible" there were more followers of the group in Perak and
neighboring Selangor state.
Ten of the Indonesians held permanent resident status in
Malaysia, while the rest were illegals, Ishak said. They were
expected to be deported if found guilty of forming a religious
cult.
Fears about religious extremism have grown in this
predominantly Muslim country following the arrests in recent
months of 24 militant suspects - some of them from neighboring
Indonesia.
The government says that some members of the group were
trained by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network in
Afghanistan and had links with militant groups in Indonesia, the
Philippines and Singapore.
Some are also suspected of plotting with militants in
Singapore and Indonesia to blow up U.S. targets in the island
city-state.
Their aim was allegedly to topple Prime Minister Mahathir
Mohamad's government and establish a single, hard-line Islamic
state comprising Malaysia, Indonesia and the southern
Philippines.