Malaysian police said on Saturday that they have detained nine suspected Islamic State (ISIS) militants. Two of the suspects are linked to the Puchong nightclub bombing on June 28.
In a press release, the Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division arrested the suspects from different parts of the country, including Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Sabah and Kelantan between July 20 and Aug 9.
The statement said three of the suspects were foreigners and aged between 17 and 56.
Khalid said two suspects, Jasanizam Rosni and Md Saifuddin Muji, who are linked to the Movida bombing in Puchong, were arrested in a hilly area in Kuala Krai on Tuesday.
"These two were on the wanted list for conspiring in the Movida bombing. They were detained with the help of the General Operations Force's Tiger Platoon Batallion 8," he told The Straits Times.
"They were also waiting for further orders from Muhammad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi to launch an attack on an entertainment outlet in Johor Baru," Khalid said adding that they were hiding in Kuala Krai since July.
Muhammad Wanndy, a known Malaysian ISIS fighter in Syria, had posted on his Facebook page claiming that the group had carried out the Puchong nightclub bombing that killed eight people.
Khalid also said the police had tracked down a suspected ISIS member, whose cell had received orders from Wanndy. It had threatened about attacking the police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur and on government buildings in the administrative capital of Putrajaya.