75% of recruits for Islamic State group sourced from social media: M’sian Minister

KUALA LUMPUR — The police are doubling efforts to monitor social media sites for possible terrorist activities as an estimated 75 per cent of new Islamic State (IS) supporters are recruited online, Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today (May 25).

He told Parliament that it is necessary for the police to maintain strict monitoring of online activity as a large proportion of social media users are below 40 years of age and fit into the target group of IS recruiters.

“Every police officer has been trained to carry out their policing duties, which includes monitoring social media that is used as a platform by terrorist to carry out their activities,” he said during Question Time.

“The government is confident with the budget allocated and existing strength of the police force. God willing, the police are capable of clamping down on the IS,” he added.

Mr Zahid noted that the police have at the same time mobilised an awareness campaign on the threat of the IS, especially among university students, to supplement efforts to combat the terrorist menace.

He stressed that public awareness is important as the militants have a strong regional and international network that militants from Malaysia and elsewhere use to expand their influence.

“We know this network spans Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines... they aim not only to set up links in the region and all these areas mentioned, but also with all other international groups with the same ideology,” the minister said.

Malaysia has so far detained 107 individuals on suspicion of having IS links.

The latest crackdown was in late April, when police arrested 12 people – including a 17-year-old boy – who were on their way up to Gunung Nuang, supposedly to test homemade bombs that would be used in car bombs or suicide attacks. THE MALAY MAIL ONLINE