9 terror suspects detained in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AP) — Police said nine suspected Malaysian militants were detained today for allegedly planning to carry out terrorist acts in the country and abroad.

National police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the nine, aged between 25 and 55, were arrested in several locations near Kuala Lumpur and in northern Kedah state bordering Thailand.

Khalid said in a statement that the nine were believed to be involved "in a militant group responsible for planning terror acts in and outside the country" and that they have links with terrorist cells abroad.

He said some of them had undergone terrorism training and held secret meetings to raise funds and spread their militant ideology. There were no further details and police officials declined to comment.

The nine were held under Malaysia's Security Offenses Act, which allows police to hold suspects for up to 28 days before they must be brought to court.

Over the past decade, Malaysian authorities have detained more than 100 militant suspects, most of them alleged to be members of Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terrorist group linked to al-Qaida.

Authorities have freed most of them, saying they have been rehabilitated.