Police chief says threats unverified following leaked memo warning Islamic State and regional ally Abu Sayyaf have 10 suicide bombers in Kuala Lumpur

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

A leaked Malaysian police report warns there are 10 suicide bombers in Kuala Lumpur, where the country will host the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit this weekend.

Malaysia’s police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the memo was authentic but warned the intelligence was not verified.

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“There have been reports of imminent terrorist threats in Malaysia,” he said in a statement. “At this point, I would like to underline that they have yet to be confirmed.”

World leaders, including US President Barack Obama and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, are arriving in Kuala Lumpur this weekend, and at least 2,000 army personnel are being deployed around the capital, Malaysian military forces said.

Police chief Khalid said attacks in France, Egypt, Lebanon, and the Philippines merited increased security for the two-day summit for 18 world leaders.

“The Royal Malaysian Police have intensified the existing comprehensive security arrangement for the Asean and related summits in Kuala Lumpur,” he said. “Security checks at all entry and exit pointed to Malaysia have been stepped up.”

Local news website Malaysiakini reported on the circular, which detailed a meeting on Sunday between Islamic State and Philippines insurgent groups Abu Sayyaf and the Moro National Liberation Front.

The police memo said the meeting, held in southern Philippines, was attended by “14 leaders from the three outfits and 50 members of Abu Sayyaf armed with M16 rifles, pistols and bombs.”

It said that Islamic State and Abu Sayyaf have eight suicide bomber in Sabah, Malaysia’s western state, and 10 in Kuala Lumpur.

“These suicide bombers underwent military training in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as prepared to receive orders from their leaders to launch attacks/bombings,” Malaysiakini quoted the circular as saying.

Federal Police Special Branch Director Fuzi Harun said the internal directive was to alert his staff.



“It is an information that we received but we don’t have a clearer information ... It may be true or false, but action is still taken,” he told Malaysia’s state-news agency Bernama.

“We will pass on this information to our ground units for any action,” he said.

The Asean meeting follows the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in neighbouring Philippines, where China’s territorial disputes over the South China Sea was a key issue.

Obama, who opposes Beijing’s claims to coral reefs and islands in the stretch of water, said that a US “pivot” to Asia remains a core policy.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei all have overlapping claims with China in the South China Sea, where more than $4.5 trillion in sea trade passes each year.

In talks with Philippine President Benigno Aquino, Obama demanded China end its land reclamation work, turning reefs in the South China Sea into islands using dredged sand from the sea floor.