219 individuals arrested for terrorist activities since 2001

219 individuals had been arrested in the country for terrorist related activities since 2001.

Federal Special Task Force (Operations and Counter Terrorism) director Datuk Mohamad Fuzi Harun however said the figure is considered small and the public should not be alarmed.

“You have to understand that this figure is for a period of 12 years. This means on average there is less than 20 cases a year and this is not alarming.”

Those arrested are from foreign-based groups including Jemaah Islamiah, al-Qaeda, Darul Islam, Jamaat al-Tawhid and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and Babbar Khalsa International.

"Most of those who were arersted are linked to Islamic groups. But the situation is under control. Our collaborative effort with international agencies on the gathering of information is good."

Mohamad Fuzi also revealed that international extremist networks often used local students as their informant.

"They have a fixed network and many of the students they recruit have a good relationship with them and that is why we have to be careful,” he said.

Commenting on reports that a terrorist's group website was hosted in the country, Mohamad Fuzi said the police were aware of the matter but it is best to let the police do their jobs.

“It is not just that website. We have been monitoring a number of websites and we have our own lists as well. Of course we cannot reveal everything as it will jeopardise our investigation, he said.”