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KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, June 8, 2001: Malaysian police said yesterday a Muslim militant group which has been behind a trail of bomb blasts, armed robberies and attempted murders was planning to wage a “holy war” to turn Malaysia into a “purist” Islamic state. Nine members of the group, all Malaysians who were arrested recently, had fought with the Mujahideens in Afghanistan and against Christians in Ambon, Indonesia. The authorities were probing their links with international terrorist groups. Describing the deviant group as a major threat to national security, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Norian Mai said the members were involved in 17 criminal cases in the past two years, including the bombing of a church and an Indian temple and an attack on a police station. He also listed a long string of other crimes they had committed, from the murder of a prominent Barisan Nasional politician and an attempted bank robbery to a botched arms heist. Police have recovered a cache of weapons, including an M-16 rifle, several pistols, ammunition and bomb-making parts, such as explosives, detonator caps and wires.

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