Islamic State Terror Attack Foiled In Malaysia

This Sunday, Malaysian police arrested a dozen suspects accused of planning a series of attacks around Kuala Lumpur. The suspects and their planned terrorist attacks are reportedly linked to Islamic State, allegedly inspired by a speech from an unidentified Islamic State leader. In the past IS has called for the targeting of “secular” Muslim governments. In a speech from the leader of Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the so-called Caliph urged ““Oh soldiers of the Islamic State…erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere. Light the earth with fire against all dictators.”

It is unclear if the accused intended to attack the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that is planned over the weekend. However, the Filipino Foreign MinisterAlbert del Rosario, present at the ASEAN meeting, did make a speech on the threat presented to the Phillipines and the rest of southeast Asia by means of Islamic State working through local Islamist terrorist organization known as the Black Flag Movement operating in Mindanao.

Defense ministers from the ASEAN countries signed a joint declaration condemning Islamic State and enhancing counter-terrorist cooperation. Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar stated in an official announcement that the suspects were captured with chemical compounds, including potassium nitrate, and equipment capable of producing explosives along with an Islamic State flag.

Earlier this month 17 other men were arrested under suspicion of planning to commit terrorist attacks in Kuala Lumpur. As with the current round of arrests, the men arrested were suspected of holding allegiance to Islamic State, and two of the suspects allegedly spent time in Syria. Malaysian police have arrested over a hundred men under accusations of terrorism since the beginning of this year.