Malaysia bars entry of Indonesian followers of radical cleric
More than 300 Indonesian followers of extremist cleric Abu Bakar, set to be freed by Indonesian Government, will be prevented from entering Malaysia due to terrorism concerns.
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Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Zahid Hamidi said that the Immigration Department is working with its Indonesian counterparts to obtain information on those followers, including their fingerprints and biometric details.
The Abu Bakar followers may pose serious threat if they enter Malaysia, he noted, adding that they will affect Malaysian citizens, especially those ready to subscribe to IS ideologies.
Abu Bakar is an Indonesian extreme cleric and former leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) - an extreme Islamist group in Southeast Asia. He is serving a 15-year prison term for funding a militant training camp in Indonesia’s Aceh province.
His followers were also arrested for their involvement in terrorist activities in Indonesia.
