KUALA LUMPUR (TIP): Malaysian police have arrested 10 people, including six security forces personnel, suspected of having links to Islamic State terror group after conducting raids in the capital and five other states, preempting their plans to launch attacks in the country.

The eight men and two women were detained by the Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division following simultaneous operations in Kuala Lumpur, Perlis, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan and Malacca states yesterday.

Among those arrested were two civil servants, a former interior designer and a kindergarten teacher.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said that the ten were suspected of spreading the IS ideology, collecting funds to assist IS and arranging for Malaysian IS members to go to Syria.

“We also believe they were planning to acquire weapons to launch attacks in Malaysia. Investigations also revealed that they were assisting returning IS fighters to enter the country,” he said in a statement today.

The Southeast Asian country has arrested nearly 100 citizens this year on suspicion of links to Islamic State.