Malaysia ISIS Recruits: Counterterrorism Police Detain 10 Suspected Islamic State Group Militants

Malaysia police — Malaysian police have launched a series of raids across the country against suspected ISIS militants, detaining 10 individuals. Above, Malaysian police take position outside the federal court ahead of a controversial ruling in Putrajaya, outside Kuala Lumpur, Feb. 10, 2015. Mohd Rasfan/AFP/Getty Images

At least 10 people with the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, were detained in multiple raids across Malaysia Thursday as the country's security forces continue to crack down on militant recruitment. Those arrested included six security forces personnel, a former interior designer and a kindergarten teacher, the Singapore-based Straits Times reported.

The suspects -- eight men and two women -- were detained by the country's special counterterrorism division in six separate areas, including Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital and most populous city. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the suspected militants were believed to be plotting an attack on Malaysian soil, and were collecting funds to assist Malaysian ISIS members wanting to travel to Syria.

The southeast Asian, predominantly Muslim country has seen a growing number of its citizens lured by ISIS ideology in recent months. Seventeen individuals were detained in April as they allegedly planned to stage attacks in Kuala Lumpur, the country's capital city.

A video emerged in April of young Malay-speaking boys, possibly also Indonesian, attending religious classes and engaging in weapons training in ISIS-held territory in either Iraq or Syria. About 60 to 150 Malay citizens are believed to have joined the militant group -- considerably lower than the number of recruits drawn from many other countries.

Terror suspects between 24- 42 years old.6 are members of security forces, 2 civil servants,1 ex interior designer,1 kindergarten teacher
— Sumisha Naidu (@sumishanaidu) August 20, 2015

Malaysian recruits are drawn by many of the same factors that draw disgruntled Muslims from other countries, including anger over the U.S.-led war on terror and the protracted civil war in Syria. However, many are also susceptible to ISIS' lure because of the increasingly politicized version of religion in Malaysia that amplifies religious differences and tensions, the Brookings Institute found in April.

Southeast Asian countries have struggled to stem the lure of radicalism for over a decade. More than 200 people were killed in attacks on Western targets in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim state, in 2002, and the country has experienced a number of attacks since then. Malaysia has not experienced any major terrorist attacks.

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