Malaysian Police Counter Terrorism Unit officers escort a Somali man believed to have links to Shebaab rebels, in Selangor, near Kuala Lumpur.

 

AFP

Kuala Lumpur

 

 

Malaysian police are investigating whether Al Qaeda-linked Somali rebels were seeking to set up a base in the Southeast Asian country after a suspected insurgent was arrested, a source with knowledge of the investigation said yesterday.

Police said on Thursday they detained a 34-year-old Somali man in Kuala Lumpur who was wanted by Interpol for alleged links to Shebaab rebels blamed for a string of violent attacks in East Africa.

Police have also been tracking five others, most of whom entered Malaysia on student visas, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Some of those five have since left the country, the source said, adding that an investigation was ongoing and more arrests could be announced.

Police deputy inspector general Bakri Zinin first announced the arrest of the Somali man late Thursday.

“The police are investigating the detainee’s activity in Malaysia to find out if there are other Al Shebaab-linked terrorists who may be hiding or carrying out activities that can be detrimental to Malaysia’s security,” he said.

Shebaab rebels claimed responsibility for the bloody assault last year on the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, which left at least 67 people dead.

Last week, Malaysia arrested 11 people suspected to be involved in militant activities under the mantle of humanitarian work.

Malaysian media have quoted official sources saying the two cases were not related.

Malaysia has not seen any notable terror attacks in recent memory.

But it has been home to several suspected key figures in militant groups, such as the Al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah blamed for the deadly 2002 Bali bombings.

Malaysian police are investigating possible terrorism in the March 8 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 but have so far given no indication that they have solid leads.

A UN-mandated African Union force has been battling Shebaab militants in Somalia since 2007.