Malaysian police have arrested 13 militants suspected of having "links" with the Islamic State (ISIS) group on Wednesday, amid concerns over the growing appeal of Islamic fundamentalism in the largely moderate Muslim country.

Malaysian authorities said the suspects were arrested during multiple raids on Tuesday in Shah Alam, a suburban town 25 kilometers west of Kuala Lumpur. The suspects are believed to have ties with ISIS and have plans of leaving for either Syria or Iraq via Turkey.

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In a press conference held at the federal police headquarters following the raids, Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, the Malaysian national police chief said, the 13 are being held in various locations in Shah Alam.

He declined to offer more details regarding the arrests, but emphasized that Islamic "militancy and terrorism have no place" in Malaysia, AFP quoted him as saying.

The counter-terrorism deputy chief of the Malaysian Police, Ayub Khan Mydin, told Reuters that the investigations are on-going with house searchers being planned.

Since April this year, Malaysian authorities have arrested 36 people who are suspected of involvement or support of militant terrorism.

Authorities said that at least 30 people have already joined the ranks of various Islamic State-linked terror groups in Syria, while 15 Malaysian citizens are known to have already died from the fighting since June.

Local media have earlier reported of a family of four that had traveled to Syria to wage jihad and a Malaysian doctor who joined the Islamist group as a militant's bride.

In August, authorities confirmed that at least three Malaysian women went as 'comfort women' to ISIS headquarters in Syria and Iraq to perform sexual jihad.

Online recruitment has gained massive Islamic State following in Malaysia, attracting thousands of potential jihadists, reported Reuters.

Malaysian officials fear that their radicalized citizens in Syria and Iraq may return home to mount attacks against civilian populations. Earlier this year, dozens of Malaysians were arrested after being discovered of planning to bomb discos, bars and a beer brewery in a bid to establish caliphate fundamentalism in the country. 

Tagspolitics, War Conflict