Prime Minister Najib Razak was among the top Malaysian officials that militant group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) targeted for kidnapping last year, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid, who is also the home minister, said he and Defense Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein were also targeted by the group.
“On Jan 30, 2015, a total of 13 people with ties to Daesh (another name for ISIS) had planned to kidnap the leaders, including the prime minister, home minister and defense minister,” Dr Ahmad Zahid told Parliament on Tuesday.
He said this in a reply to Datuk Abdul Manan Ismail, ( BN- Paya Besar) who asked the Home Ministry to state the success of police in preventing terrorist attacks planned by ISIS in the country.
Zahid said the police had prevented four incidents of attacks in Malaysia by ISIS.
In September 2014, there was a plan by the group to test improvised explosive devices in Kedah.
Other attempts included attacking places of worship, and entertainment outlets in the country.
“They also wanted to destroy the Free Mason Lodge in Bukit Jalil,” Zahid said.
Zahid said the government has stepped up efforts to monitor the IS terrorist group, with the Home Ministry and police sharing information with agencies from abroad, especially with those from Asean countries.
Malaysia has been able to track down these suspected IS recruits as a result of the intelligence exchange, he said.
The names of these individuals with suspected links to militant activities have been forwarded to the Immigration Department for blacklisting and for inclusion into the Suspect List to restrict their movements at the country’s entry and exit points, he said.
The Advanced Passenger Screening System will be used to check those passing through Malaysia and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission will also be monitoring social media users.