Sulu intruders planning revenge attack on Sabah, says Nur Jazlan

The Sulu intruders from southern Philippines are planning a ‘revenge attack’ in Lahad Datu, Sabah, after failing to conquer the state in 2013.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed told The New Straits Times that the ministry is currently monitoring the group.

“We have been doing continuous and intensive monitoring. There are indications that the group is planning a revenge attack.

“We want to neutralise their network of sympathisers to prevent any such attack,” he told the daily.

Nur Jazlan said the network also consists local people who sympathised with the Sulus.

“They are normal people, usually locals or non-Malaysians, with ties to the communities in southern Philippines. So, there are many of them.

“They have interwoven with the communities in eastern Sabah, which makes it more difficult to identify them,” he said adding that they got to know about the 'revenge attack' from intelligence report by enforcement agencies.

Before this, Immigration Department deputy director-general Datuk Sakib Kusmi had said that the movement of people with Sulu links was being monitored by enforcement agencies, including the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM).