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.