KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia police are tracking down four Islamic State (IS)-linked terrorists involved in a plot to kidnap and murder police officers, as well as attack non-Muslim places of worship.

Authorities said in a press release on Monday (Apr 16) that six other members of the IS cell were arrested by the Johor counter-terrorism unit between Feb 27 and Mar 1, but that four were still on the run and "dangerous".

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Two of the suspects were identified as Muhamad Faizal Muhamad Hanafi, 29, and his father Muhamad Hanafi Yah, 51, both of whom are Malaysians from Kelantan.

A third Malaysian is Nor Farkhan Mohd Isa, 31, whose address was indicated as Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Skudai in Johor.

The fourth suspect, a 37-year-old Thai, is Awae Wae-eya.

Police said anyone with information about the suspects should contact the authorities. They can also go directly to police headquarters in Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur or any police station closest to them.

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Anyone found to have hidden information about, helped or protected the suspects may be jailed seven to 30 years, said Malaysian police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun.</s>Malaysian police are hunting for four militants suspected of planning attacks on non-Muslim places of worship, as well as to kidnap and kill police officers.

Police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement yesterday that six members of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) cell were arrested between Feb 27 and March 1. But four others were still on the run.

Police said the men were "dangerous" and "capable of launching attacks that could pose a threat to national security".

Two of the suspects were named as Muhamad Faizal Muhamad Hanafi and Muhamad Hanafi Yah, both from Kelantan.

A third is Nor Farkhan Mohd Isa, from Skudai, Johor. The fourth is Awae Wae-Eya, a Thai national living in Narathiwat province in southern Thailand.

"We have been monitoring the cells for the last few months. We are asking the public to share with us if they have any information on the whereabouts of these four suspects. They should approach the police if they know anything," Special Branch's Counter Terrorism chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay told The Straits Times.

Intelligence sources believe Awae is the group's mastermind, based on interrogation of the six men arrested, and that he is trying to establish an ISIS cell in southern Thailand.

The arrests of the other members of the terror cell, which included two men working as janitors in Singapore, were revealed on March 24.

The plot was uncovered after Malaysian counter-terrorism police, aided by their Singaporean counterparts, detained the terrorists in several swoops.

The order to kidnap and kill policemen was the first of its kind, according to a source.

The six men nabbed included a 37-year-old technician who was initially thought to be the masterminded of plans to attack places of worship in Johor Baru.

Also picked up during the raids was a 30-year old security guard, who was tasked with acquiring firearms and scouting for non-Muslim houses of worship to target.

Another suspect, a 25-year-old waiter, had been ordered to kidnap and kill policemen.

Two others, aged 23 and 22, were arrested on March 1 and worked as janitors in Singapore. One of them acted as the intermediary to buy firearms. The other was picked up by police.

A member of the Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines was also arrested during the police crackdown, in Sabah, on March 15.

Malaysia has arrested nearly 400 people since 2013 for suspected links to terrorism.
Malaysia announces the arrest of six alleged Islamic State members accused of plotting to abduct and murder police and assault places of worship. Authorities appeal for information on four more suspects.