In a statement, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar said two of the suspects were arrested on Feb 21 over links to a Daesh cell, referring to Islamic State (IS) by its Arabic name.

The 41-year-old Malaysian and 28-year-old Indonesian were working as factory technicians when they were arrested in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur.

An Indonesian man is one of two suspected of planning attacks in Malaysia under the instruction of an IS cell member. (Photo: Royal Malaysia Police)

Investigations revealed they had received directions from Mohamad Wanndy Mohamad Jedi to conduct a bomb attack using a “large-scale vehicle borne improvised explosive device” in Malaysia before leaving to join IS in Syria.

Mohamad Wanndy is a Malaysian linked to IS in Syria said to have orchestrated the attack on the Movida nightclub in Puchong last year.

A third suspect from East Asia, 37, was arrested on Feb 23 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, said IGP Khalid. He was believed to be a member of a terrorist group from East Asia that used Malaysia as a transit and shelter point.

A suspected member of an East Asia terror group using Malaysia as a transit point. (Photo: Royal Malaysia Police)

“He had entered Malaysia in 2011 using a suspected fake student visa from a public educational institution in Lembah Klang,” said the statement. Investigations showed the man was linked to another member of an East Asian terror group involved in helping members enter Malaysia before heading to Syria.

Four of the suspects arrested were Yemeni. They were arrested on Feb 26 in Serdang and Cyberjaya, Selangor. Police said they were suspected of being part of a Yemeni rebel group and that they were involved in a syndicate that faked travel documents.

Police lead away suspected members of a Yemeni rebel group after an operation in Selangor. (Photo: Royal Malaysia Police)

Several international passports, as well as cash from various countries worth RM270,000 (US$60,650) – believed to have been sent as funds for the rebel group – were seized during the operation.

The seven were detained for terrorism-related offences, with one also taken in for violating the Immigration Act.