KUALA LUMPUR — Three terror suspects detained in Kelantan last week had planned to attack a beer festival among other locations, Malaysia's police chief has said, adding that one of the men was linked to a gang behind the Islamic State's first attack in the country.

Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the trio had tested improvised explosive devices (IED).

"I can confirm that the suspects were targeting various locations in the country, including the beer festival. They made the IED and even tested it," Mr Fuzi was quoted by The Star as saying, referring to the axed Better Beer Festival scheduled at a shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur. Other targets of the suspects include places of worship and entertainment outlets in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. 

One of the men is a 25-year-old building contractor from Perak.

“One of the suspects from Perak has links to the ‘gagak hitam’ gang which bombed Movida on June 28 2016," said Mr Fuzi, referring to the grenade attack at a nightclub in Puchong, Selangor, which injured eight people. It was IS' first successful attack in Malaysia.

"He also has links with Muhammad Wandy in Syria,” Mr Fuzi added, in reference to Malaysia's top IS operative in Syria which killed in an attack near Raqqa in April.

The others arrested were a 19-year-old student from Kelantan, where a field test was conducted using improvised explosive devices (IED), and a 34-year-old ex-army officer.

Mr Fuzi had stressed earlier this month that the police's objection against the beer festival in the capital city had been based on real security concerns and was not related to political pressure, or any racial or religious sensitivities.

Earlier, it was said that the event was cancelled due to political sensitivities, and this sparked a controversy in Malaysia, with lawmakers across the political divide slamming the decision.

Opposition party Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and several Muslim groups had previously protested against the festival.

The groups claimed the event would encourage immorality and lead to criminal acts, free sex and rape. The ban was seen as a latest sign of creeping conservatism in Malaysia, where critics say increasingly vocal Islamic hardliners and politicians are eroding a traditionally moderate brand of the religion.

"We advised against organising the event because there was an actual threat. We have been very consistent on security matters," the police chief told The Star.

PAS and other groups have also lobbied against similar events in Petaling Jaya and Klang.

Selangor district police had separately claimed security threats at these events, leading to their cancellation. THE MALAY MAIL ONLINE