DEPUTY Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay cautioned that one must never underestimate the security issues and capabilities of groups or individuals with extremist or militant ideologies.
He said action must be taken against them and one must not follow few 'experts' who are supposedly 'famous religious scholars' who often criticize the police claim that PDRM is in cahoots with the West.
"They claim we are tarnishing the image of Islam. We are not religious experts but based on studies conducted by security agencies whether in Malaysia, the Southeast Asian Region, or internationally as well as the rulings of the National Fatwa Council, we also link the ideology of these terrorist groups, especially Al-Qaeda and JI, with Salafi-jihadi ideology.
"We at the Special Branch not only collect intelligence, arrest, interrogate but also study materials seized from operations on the JI terrorist elements.
"Likewise, a few politicians, legal practitioners and human rights groups only see one aspect of the actions taken by PDRM through preventive laws such as the ISA and SOSMA.
"There are things that I can share with the public ... there are many more that if shared would cause alarm," he said in a Facebook post.
What is important in the context of addressing threats to national security and public order, he said was for all parties, whether politicians, human rights lawyers, NGOs, academics, and the public to give full support and trust to the PDRM.
"Especially the SB and this includes ensuring that the PDRM continues to be given 'weapons' in the form of preventive laws such as the ISA and SOSMA to make it easier for us to address national security issues," he said.
Ayob Khan said lessons from past attacks in the region, particularly the 2002 Bali bombings, show the dangers of dismissing or downplaying extremist networks operating across borders.
"The lesson from Indonesia is clear. We must never view security threats lightly or underestimate individuals or groups driven by extremist or militant ideologies. We mut act against them and they must not be allowed to operate," he stressed.
He also recounted the Bali attacks, Southeast Asia's first large-scale suicide bombing, which killed 202 people and injured more than 200.
"The attack was was planned months earlier and involved operatives moving through Thailand and Malaysia before striking Indonesia.
"Malaysia was not merely a transit point, with key JI figures entering the country to source logistics, assemble explosive devices and coordinate funding before the attack," he added.
He also revealed that sustained operations by the SB since December 2001 had ultimately prevented a planned bombing at the Malaysia–Singapore Causeway. – January 3, 2026
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