JOHOR BARU – The four Uzbek nationals arrested in Indonesia last month for alleged terrorism activities had visited Malaysia prior to that, and are believed to have had plans for such activities here, a counter-terrorism expert said.
The four individuals are understood to be part of the Katibah Al-Tawid wal-Jihad group, according to the Nordic Counter-Terrorism Network (NCTN) Finland.
The alleged Uzbek militants are thought to be involved in recruitment and propaganda operations and were also tasked with identifying potential targets in Southeast Asia, said NCTN Finland director Andrin Raj.
“The four specialised in the planning cycle of terror attacks and have links with many Southeast Asian jihadist operatives,” he told The Vibes.
It is understood that the four individuals flew from Uzbekistan to Qatar and Turkey before making their way to Malaysia and then to Indonesia, where they were eventually detained by Indonesia’s Special Detachment 88.
Andrin noted that it was peculiar given that there are direct flights from Turkey to Indonesia, adding that their decision to stop in Malaysia before their final destination, was suspicious.
“Whether the four had local ISIS connections in Malaysia is yet to be disclosed by the Malaysian authorities.
“NCTN believes that it was possible they were planning terror attacks on Malaysian soil, based on our findings from an ISIS-linked media platform which was launched in Malaysia.”
The media platform referred to is the Al-Malaka Media Centre, which The Vibes had reported about on March 5.
“NCTN’s cyber-intelligence reveals that ISIS chat rooms are aware of the presence of security agencies who are probing into the Al-Malaka Media Centre and providing cautionary advice to members to avoid capture,” Andrin added.
According to the United Nations Security Council, Katibah Al-Tawid wal-Jihad is a terror organisation with around 500 fighters.
In 2016, the group organised a terrorist attack against the Chinese Embassy in Bishkek.
Bernama reported earlier this month on Indonesia’s announcement stating that authorities had detained the four Uzbek Katibah Al-Tawid wal-Jihad members on March 24 over suspicion of spreading terrorist activities using social media.
The four individuals who were in Indonesia from February are aged between 26 and 40 years.
However, three of them recently escaped an Indonesian immigration detention centre after fatally stabbing an officer and injuring four others, according to news wire reports on April 12.
Two individuals were recaptured while the third drowned during a pursuit.
The fourth individual did not join the escape and remained in custody.
The Vibes’ previous report on the Al-Malaka Media Centre stated that the ISIS-sponsored platform had been detected on the dark web.
NCTN said the media centre launched in Malaysia has shared links with its support structures in the country and uses radical ideologies to destabilise the current administration led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Malaysian police have said they are aware and are monitoring the group. – The Vibes, April 16, 2023
