According to a report by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (Iseas), both Malaysia and Indonesia were repeatedly mentioned in the IS magazine called Dabiq, from late 2015 as targets for terrorist operations.

“The message to the would-be militants is chilling enough: they need no longer bother to emigrate to lands of the (IS) caliphate if circumstances do not permit them to do so,” the May 16 report by Iseas fellow Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Hamid, said.

“They are, however, encouraged to commit their macabre deeds anywhere else where (IS’s) foes are present.”

Ahmad Fauzi cited an issue of Dabiq, which advised IS militants to choose from “more than seventy crusader nations, tāghūt regimes, apostate armies, rāfidī militias, and sahwah factions.”

“In addition to killing crusader citizens anywhere on the earth, what, for example, prevents him from targeting Rāfidī communities in Dearborn (Michigan), Los Angeles, and New York City? Or targeting Panamanian diplomatic missions in Jakarta, Doha, and Dubai?

“Or targeting Japanese diplomatic missions in Bosnia, Malaysia, and Indonesia?” the issue reads.

This follows recent reports that Zainuri Kamaruddin, a former Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) leader known for several attempted murders and his involvement in armed bank robberies, had announced the IS’s plan to invade Malaysia.

Zainuri had said in a newly released IS propaganda video that he and his men were part of a “righteous army”, and that the Malay archipelago would someday be swarming with an army of IS fighters who would bring the fight home, particularly to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Zainuri, 49, leads the Malay-speaking IS arm Katibah Nusantara, currently fighting in Syria under the IS banner.

The IS has declared Malaysia and its people as taghut (sinners or those against the teachings of Allah) and must be fought, Zainuri said.