KUALA LUMPUR: Police have nabbed 10 suspects in Sabah who were involved in recruiting fighters to wreak havoc with militant groups in southern Philippines.
The suspects, aged between 27 and 50, were picked up by the police Counter Terrorism Unit during an operation from Jan 24 until Feb 6.
Those detained included nine men and a woman who were picked up in Sandakan and Penampang.
Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the group had made Sandakan as their base and transit point before smuggling the recruits into the Philippines.
Those detained included three Filipino men and the suspects included labourers, illegal money changers, a boat captain and an unemployed.
Fuzi said one of the Filipino suspect, aged 39, had previously taken an oath of allegiance to a militant group in southern Philippines in 2000.
“He was the one instructed to get recruits to fight for the militants,” the top cop said in a statement.
He said four others in the group were in charge of getting the recruits into the neighbouring country.
Out of the 10 picked up, one was also identified as a senior member of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) based in Basilan, southern Philippines.
The group, he said had also facilitated the entry of a foreign fighter to southern Philippines to join the Islamic State (IS) terrorists.
In a related development, Singapore has detained a Malaysian man from Penang who is believed to have attempted to join IS fighters in Syria.