IS influence on Armed Forces limited to just a few

DEFENCE Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said the alleged influence of the Islamic State terrorist group within the Armed Forces was limited to just a few individuals.

He said over the past two years, there had been some members arrested and charged with alleged involvement with the terrorist group.

In 2014, two were arrested by police but only one was charged in court.

He said last year, 11 Armed Forces members were arrested and charged, with nine found guilty and sentenced. Two are still facing trial.

So far this year, no member was found to be involved or potentially involved with terrorist groups, Hishammuddin told Dr Lee Boon Chye (BN-Gopeng).

Hishammuddin said the IS targeted military personnel because they were trained for battle and thus, wanted to use their expertise.

The minister assured that the Armed Forces were always ready to manage all forms of threats through the Operation Other Than War approach. He also said the army, navy and air force each had a cyber unit to monitor, detect and combat terrorist narratives on the Internet.

“Expertise training in terms of physical, cyber-technology and terrorism management is also conducted on a regular basis,” he added.

“We recognise that IS threat cuts across agencies, ministries and borders. So the armed forces have to have close cooperation with other agencies, whether local or international.”