Malaysian authorities recently arrested 4 foreigners for suspected links to the Islamic State (IS) in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia's The Star newspaper reported.

Malaysian policemen (Source: EPA/VNA)

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said on December 6 that the men, aged between 31 and 40, were high on the police's wanted list.  They were using Sandakan as a transit point to go into the Southern Philippines.

Previously on 4 December, local law enforcement killed a key member of the militant Abu Sayyaf group, who was believed to have been involved in several robberies at sea in between Sabah and the southern Philippines.

Some 989 people were detained under the country’s anti-terrorism law from 2012 to April 2017, according to Malaysian officials.

(Source: VNA)