Malaysian terror suspects going to Middle East via transit points

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has said suspected militants from the country were using Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore as transit points to travel to the Middle East to join extremist groups.

"We are working with Interpol and our intelligence unit is monitoring these people because they don't travel straight from Malaysia," Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was quoted by New Straits Times as saying.

Hamidi said movements of Malaysians travelling via transit countries to Iraq and Syria are being tracked.

"The government would like to stress that we don't endorse the Islamic State (IS) militants of Syria and Iraq nor are we a hub for terrorism and a terrorist training centre," Hamidi told reporters adding that the country's stand against this matter was firm.

Hamidi was addressing the media at the 23rd Security Services Association Malaysia Annual General Meeting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning.