A screen grab from YouTube showing Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon and other masked men declaring their support for Isis. – September 22, 2014.
Militant group Abu Sayyaf has declared its support for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis) movement in Syria through a video posted on Youtube, triggering a red alert in Sabah, The Star reported today.
The video saw Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, who was clad in a black gown, and masked men declaring their allegiance to Isis and its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi through an oath of loyalty.
The 48-year-old Isnilon is one of the world's most wanted terrorists, with a RM16 million bounty on his head, the report said.
The six-minute clip had been posted on the website in July but sources told the daily that it only picked up momentum on social networking sites last month.
The video, the report said, appeared to have been shot in the jungles of southern Philippines, where the militant group is based and the opening scene of the clip showed the Isis movement's black flag.
Isnilon and his men had spoken mostly in Arabic and in his native dialect – Yakan – in the video, which authorities believed was meant to gather support for the Isis movement in Southeast Asia, it was reported.
Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) leader Abu Bakar Baasyir took heed and also called on his followers to join Isis, the report said.
He is believed to have assembled high-ranking JAT leaders and family members at the Pasir Putih prison in Indonesia to order them to support the Isis.
Sources told The Star that following this new development, authorities are also keeping a close watch on pro-Isis and jihadist websites in Bahasa Malaysia.
Isnilon is wanted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Malaysian authorities and is believed to have been responsible for an incident on Sabah's Pom Pom island in Semporna last November, where Taiwanese national Chang An-Wei was kidnapped and her husband Hsu Lee Min was killed.
She was later released after negotiations.
“He (Isnilon) and his men are dangerous and their main business is kidnapping, which is carried out to finance their terror activities," a regional intelligence analyst was quoted as saying.
"He and his men have beheaded an American kidnap victim."
Malaysian authorities, the report said, are concerned that Isnilon and his troop could easily gain access into Sabah from their base in southern Philippines.
“The situation in Iraq and Syria, where Isis is operating, seems to have given a fresh impetus to Isnilon. There are very good reasons for Malaysia to put out the red alert for this terrorist given the long coastline,” the analyst was reported as saying.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar assured that Bukit Aman would tighten security to prevent the Isis movement from spreading its influence in Malaysia.
“We are keeping close tabs on the development of such radical groups in neighbouring countries. We will step up security along our borders to prevent any of these elements from slipping in,” he was quoted as saying, adding that police were working with their counterparts in other countries to boost intelligence gathering.
“We will not allow extremists to gain a foothold in Malaysia."
- TMI
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