Malaysian Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar announced on March 24 that 13 people suspected of being linked to Islamic State (IS) have been arrested.

The suspects were detained in an anti-terror campaign conducted on March 23, the arrest was the largest in the raid. The police also confiscated several IS-linked documents.

The announcement of the arrest comes after Bakar declared that police will establish a counter-terrorism unit in every state in the country.

Illustrative Image (Source: businesstimes.com.sg)

Speaking with the press, the official said the deadly Brussels attacks have made Malaysian authorities take action "on the slightest information" because they "cannot afford to wait and see" if there could be an actual attack.

Malaysia has been on high alert since IS-linked gunmen carried out an armed attack in Jakarta, Indonesia on January 14.

Malaysian Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said early this month that police foiled an IS plot to kidnap Prime Minister Najib Razak and other senior ministers in 2015.

Since 2015 , the country has arrested at least 160 people on suspicion of being involved in militant activities, including seven believed to have been part of an IS cell.

(Source: VNA)