Family of five among those arrested for alleged involvement with IS

Among the 14 suspects detained on suspicion of being involved with the militant group, Islamic State (IS) in Syria included a family of five and a Form Two student.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar in a statement on Wednesday said all suspects were Malaysian citizens aged between 14 to 48 years old.

He said those detained include vendors, event crews, cooks, graphic designers, students, housewives and engineers.

"Three of them are the masterminds who are responsible in recruiting, funding and arranging the travels for Malaysians to join the terrorists in Syria," stated Khalid in his statement.

He added one of the mastermind was a 37-year-old man who operated a Facebook page for the purpose of promoting, recruiting and downloading IS propagandas.

The other two suspects include a 34-year-old man and an engineer aged 37-years-old who works in a ministry.

As for the Form Two student, Khalid stated that the student is studying in Klang, Selangor.

Police through further investigation also found books on jihad and militant actvities.

Police believed that the family of five is making preparations to head for Syria to join the terrorist group.

The police had detained 14 people at a restaurant in Shah Alam yesterday, on suspicion of having made preparations to join the militant group, IS.

They are currently being investigated under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma).