KUALA LUMPUR — Seven people suspected of links with the Islamic State (ISIS) militant group were detained over the last three days in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Pahang, Johor and Kedah.

No weapons were seized but police seized a cache of bullets for various types of firearms, including those for the M16 assault rifle.

The arrests were made by the police’s counter-terrorism unit in the three-day operation as a follow-up to the earlier arrest of a man at a LRT station in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 15.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar announced the seven arrests and congratulated the counter-terrorism team on Twitter a few hours ago.

The seven had planned attacks at several popular spots in the Klang Valley as well as in other states, according to police sources.

Among those detained was a cell leader, a Sabahan who works as an assistant manager of a hotel in Johor, sources said.

Sources close to the investigation said one of the seven was also identified as a cell “fund manager” whose task was to channel funds to people wanting to go to Syria and for carrying out attacks.

The counter-terrorism unit also found out that one of those arrested had been in communication with Bahrun Naim, the Indonesian founding member of Khatibah Nusantara Muhammad, and whom Indonesian police have said orchestrated the Jakarta attacks on Jan 14 which killed 12 people.

Another of those arrested had been in contact with Malaysian Isis recruiter, Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, also known as Abu Hamzah.

Besides the two arrested in Johor and two in Kedah, the three others detained are men between the ages of 30 and 33.

They were arrested in Gombak (Selangor), Kuala Lumpur and Pahang, and had plans to launch attacks in the country, Mr Khalid said.

The seven were arrested for terrorism activities under the Penal Code (Act 574) and are being investigated under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma).

Earlier this month, police arrested four people between the ages of 23 and 28 for suspected involvement in Isis activities. Two of them were a husband and wife who were arrested in Turkey in November last year and deported to Malaysia.

On January 11, a 16-year-old boy wearing clothing of Isis militants held a woman at knife-point in a supermarket in Sungai Petani, Kedah, purportedly to "prove" his membership of the group. THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER