Eight Indonesians deported for possession of Daish images

Eight Indonesians were deported by the Federal Police (Bukit Aman) Special Branch's Counter Terrorism Unit after one of them was found keeping pictures showing Daish's militant influence on his mobile phone.

According to a source, the group was arrested by Singapore authorities at the Woodlands Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex at about 1.30am Tuesday.

"During inspection, immigration personnel found images on Daish militancy including that of a homemade bomb using a shoe in one of the suspects mobile phone.

"The Singaporean authorities then placed the suspects under the 'No Time Limit' prohibited entry status into the republic before handing them over to Malaysian police for further investigation," he said.

According to the source, Malaysian police detained the group's members from 2.30am until 9am and from the interrogation conducted, found that suspect concernedobtained the Daish images from a Whatsapp group.

"After the investigations, the suspects were deported to Batam, Indonesia by ferry before being detained by Indonesian National Police (INP) and Riau Police two hours later for follow-up investigations," he said.

It is learned that the suspects, who were students from Sekolah Pondok, Darul Hadits, Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia, had been in the country since Jan 3 to seek medical treatment for one of them.

However, four days later, they spent a night in Perlis before heading to Pattani, Thailand, to learn about the education system at the Islamic Education Board in the district.

According to the source, the suspects returned to Malaysia on Monday to enter Singapore through the Johor border.

Meanwhile, the unit's principal assistant director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, when contacted, confirmed the matter.

-- BERNAMA