Malaysia's police chief says a suspected militant arrested in a train station in Kuala Lumpur has confessed to planning a suicide attack in the country.
The 28-year-old Malaysian man is believed to be a member of the Islamic State (IS) militant group and was arrested on Friday with weapons and documents related to IS, the police said.
In a statement on Saturday, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said the suspect confessed to planning a suicide attack in Malaysia after receiving orders from a foreign IS member in Syria.
"The suspect is also responsible for hanging IS flags at several locations in the states of Terengganu, Perak, Selangor and Johor, in order to warn the government to stop arresting IS members in Malaysia," Khalid said in the statement.
No further details were given on where or how he was planning the attack.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Malaysia has been on high alert since a bomb and gun attack in neighbouring Indonesia's capital on Thursday. It has beefed up security in public areas and on its borders.
Indonesian police killed one suspected militant and arrested two more in raids across the country on Friday, a day after an attack by IS suicide bombers and gunmen in Jakarta that killed seven people. They announced more arrests on Saturday.
Khalid said three other people suspected of being supporters of IS were also arrested between January 11 and January 15.
The three were arrested at Kuala Lumpur international airport after they returned from Turkey, where they were detained for trying to make their way into Syria to join IS.
The three suspects are aged between 23 and 28. A picture of the arrest released by police appeared to indicate one of the suspects was a woman.
Police said the three were recruited by a known Malaysian IS member named Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, who is based in Syria. Muhammad Wanndy has been linked to a video released last year that showed a man being beheaded there.
Before Friday's arrest, Malaysia had detained 145 people since 2013 on suspicion of links with IS.
In September, Malaysian police thwarted a plot to detonate bombs in Kuala Lumpur's vibrant tourist area of Bukit Bintang. Other recent plots frustrated by Malaysian security forces included plans to raid army camps and seize weapons.
Malaysia's deputy home minister warned that Southeast Asia faces the threat of IS-inspired attacks designed to "glamorise" terrorism.
