Police will not take chances with country's security, says IGP (Updated)

KUALA LUMPUR: Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar has said Islamic State (IS) militants headed to southern Philippines were planning to use Tawau as their transit point.
He said Bukit Aman had thwarted the plan before it was implemented by the militants following the recent arrests of two Bangladeshi men, a Filipino and a local woman in Sabah.
"The militants pass through Tawau, not because Sabah is a transit point for militants, but because that route is bustling with economic activity and people travelling.
"There are many fishing vessels and merchant boats there.The militants were planning to exploit this situation and blend in with the locals to mask their activities," he said today after attending the federal police monthly assembly.
Khalid said the success had alerted the counter-terrorism division, which will now monitor such activities in Tawau.
"We have made arrangements to keep an eye on the activities taking place at that spot," he said, adding that southern Philippines is where the militants gather and train.
Khalid assured the public that police have the means to track down militants in the country and will not take any chances with national security.
Police have arrested 537 individuals for involvement in militant activities between 2001 and 2016.
He said among those nabbed, 264 were IS militants, adding that at least 59 Malaysian IS members were currently in Syria.
Police were also working with their counterparts in the Philippines to track down former Universiti Malaysia lecturer Mahmud Ahmad, the head of the IS terror cell behind the plan.
The lecturer was tasked with arranging safe passage of recruits from Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Myanmar to Mindanao in southern Philippines.
Khalid said police are waiting for the right time to take action against Mahmud, who is currently hiding in the Philippines.
"The security agencies are monitoring his movements."
theSun on Monday reported that Bukit Aman uncovered a new terror cell, led by Mahmud, which had merged with an Abu Sayyaf group led by Isnilon Hapilon.
On a separate matter, Khalid said although police do not have a special database for sex offenders, it would monitor criminal records of suspects.
On Toronto serial rapist Selva Kumar Subbiah, whose prison terms expires at the end of this month, Khalid said police will monitor him according to the law and rules of the country.
He is set to be deported to Malaysia by Canadian authorities upon his release.
Selva was sentenced to 24 years in prison in 1992 after being found guilty of 19 counts of sexual assault, 28 counts of administering a drug or noxious substance, 10 counts of various kinds of assault and a dozen other charges, including extortion.