The suspects were caught in an anti-terror sting launched on Wednesday, the latest arrests in an ongoing operation to clamp down on the spread of militancy in Malaysia.

Police also confiscated IS-linked documents during the raid, Khalid said in a Twitter posting.

The announcement of the arrests was made after Khalid said in an interview, published on Thursday by local daily The Star, that police would set up a counter-terrorism unit in every state.

Khalid said in the interview that the deadly Brussels airport attack made it clear that Malaysian authorities have to take action “on the slightest information” and that they “cannot afford to wait and see” if there could be an actual attack.

Malaysia has been on high alert since IS-linked militants carried out an armed attack in Jakarta on Jan 14.

Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said earlier this month police had foiled an IS plot to kidnap Prime Minister Najib Razak and other senior ministers last year.

Malaysia has arrested at least 160 people since January 2015 on suspicion of being involved in militant activities, including seven believed to have been part of an IS cell.

– Reuters